Aldnoah Zero: Repentance
by PaulXion
Summary: After the battle with Count Saazbaum, the world stood at the very edge of its own destruction. With the Martians' victory so close, the fate of Terrans now lie in the hands of young Inaho who awoke after months of sleep. Will his wits be enough to take on the Orbital Knights or will the Terrans be enslaved by its now ruling invaders?
1. Life of the Guilty

**Aldnoah Zero: Repentance**

**Chapter 1: Life of Guilty**

**(Somewhere in Northern Germany) (Four months since the fall of U.E.F Headquarters)**

Beautiful…

That was perhaps the millionth time Princess Asseylum thought about it as she gazed deeply at the setting sun from the comfort of her new home by the beach of an unknown land. Her feet dipped in the sand, only to be curled up by the waves from the sea. No matter how many times she looked at it, the view of that simple orange ball takes her breath away. Perhaps it was because there was nothing like it in the world she came from. The natural beauty of nature taking its course was far superior to the bright neon lights of the palace or the artificial sun of the cities. She could easily say that neither of which could hold its own to the splendor of the sun.

It seemed so easy to understand why the people of Vers would want to conquer such a place. To live in a place with such abundance of air, water and natural life and rich with history and culture, would simply be called paradise. What the Vers called Heaven, the Terrans called it 'Mediocre'.

Envy and greed would probably play a heavy role in what the Orbital Knights do today.

"Princess?" The girl's nostalgic moment was interrupted by the voice of her near-lifelong companion.

"Slaine…" She muttered much to the boy's surprise.

"Your Highness! Please. You shouldn't be out here in the cold. Your wounds haven't healed yet." Slaine rushed to the girl's side placing an old worn-out military shirt over her shoulders.

The girl bowed apologetically but remained in place. "Forgive me. I was looking at the sun again and I guess I lost track of time. I didn't mean to upset you." The Princess placed her hand over her chest where bandages were wrapped around to cover the bullet-hole that was inflicted. She also had a wound over her left eye which left a brutal scar on her face. "The bandages you placed are soak again… aren't they?"

It was only thanks to Slaine's medical skills and the sturdiness of her protective gear that she was able to survive the two attacks that were directed to take her life.

"I keep telling you that you shouldn't move around too much. The stitching has barely healed."

"I'm sorry…" She mumbled back hinting the boy to stop.

Slaine knew well what the Princess was going through. Despite her strong demeanor and peaceful smile, he knew that deep down she was probably resenting every waking moment of her life.

For she was the reason of the war that was occurring now. To know deeply that millions of lives all over the world were suffering because of her actions was simply… too much for one soul to take. And to pour salt to that wound, she was enjoying herself here. Enjoying her stay in this isolated beach where no one could reach you.

A guilty soul, trying to enjoy a bit of paradise…

Slaine tried his best to make the Princess forget, to ease her pain. It was a stroke of fortune that he was able to find this refuge away from the war after the battle that took place a few months back.

Riding on the captured Kataphrakt, he flew the Princess as far as his bones could take him. Eventually he decided to settle here, away from it all. Away from conflict, from battle, from all the painful memories the Princess had to go through. A part of him wishing, hoping that their days could remain like this forever.

"I'll have dinner ready. Please don't exert yourself too much." The boy pleaded earning a nod from the Princess before returning to the small lodge by the beach.

Once he was out of sight, Asseylum resumed her gaze at the setting sun as it sank deeper into the ocean. Such a beautiful moment, she wished for it to go on just a little bit longer.

…

…

…

Dinner was uneventful at best. Slaine wasn't exactly the best cook in the house but his meals were edible at the very least. He had to make sure that the plants and mushrooms he picked out weren't dangerous and the fish he catches by the sea were fresh. There were times where the boy would go to the nearby woods and set small traps catching a rabbit or two for a small feast.

All the utensils and furniture were provided by the lodge. Slaine thought at one point in time, this place might've served as a home for a family evident by the few portraits that were still in good condition. The Princess was worried that they might've become uninvited guests, but after living here for some time, the family was never to be seen. She could only pray for their well being and hope that they managed to escape the chaos.

After cleaning the dishes and putting away the tables, Asseylum returned to her room. Thankfully the house itself had two bedrooms which gave them some manner of privacy in this isolated place.

But the Princess could not sleep. No… it was more that she didn't want to sleep.

Though the Princess would admit that the clear blue sky and the sun were beautiful to watch all day long, she would privately say that the immense brightness held no candle to the romantic feel of the moon and her twinkling stars. If she had to compare which time of day she liked the most, her fingers will instantly point at the direction of the night.

There was just something about the clear night sky and the soft glow of the moon that made her feel cool. Perhaps it was a quiet reminder of home, or perhaps she was just afflicted by the stars that danced in her eyes. She didn't really bother to care. All that she knew that she loved it and that was really all that mattered. The Princess even thought that she was living in an entirely two separate worlds. It made her laugh how foolishly naïve she was to the natural order of Earth.

**(The next morning)**

Slaine was one to busy himself when the sun was at its peak. It has become a daily chore but his stamina and endurance were up to par. Though it would be ironic to say it out loud, the boy had to say that his rough life within the Martian Nobility had some part to play in his constitution.

Taking in stock of the provisions they had, the boy noted that they had more than enough food to last them the whole week. A month if rationed correctly. Seeing as there was plenty for them to go by, the boy decided to take it easy and fish by the nearby pier. The fish often bites this time of day.

The gentle wind and calming waves were a welcome treatment to the boy's health. The war took much of his childhood and his innocence. All the bloodshed, the conspiracy, and the hatred outlook of conflict… he needed to get away from it all. In fact… he never wanted to be part of such a thing ever again. A quiet slice of the world was all that he desired for him and the Princess.

"Do you mind if I join you?" The boy's attention was startled by the beautiful Princess that called to him.

Slaine paused, marveling at the Princess's soft gaze before he realized that he had to answer. "N… no, of course not. Please go ahead." The girl gladly joined him by the pier, dipping her feet in the shallow water. She was close… so incredibly close that he could almost feel her skin at his shoulder. It made him blush, flustered to their proximity. The boy was so nervous that he didn't even notice his fishing lure bobbing its head.

"Ah! Slaine look! You got a catch!" Asseylum announced making the boy pull with all his strength, and to his luck, his catch wasn't exactly what he expected. "Uwa! Amazing! I've never seen a fish like this one before."

"Uh… that's not a fish…" Slaine replied pulling the big thing to his net. "It's a crab—and a big one too." The Princess tilted her head in question. "They usually stay in shallow areas so it's normal to catch one or two and they're delicacy in some countries."

"Incredible. A different animal every day." The Princess held the little thing in her hand and looked directly into its eyes. "How can you even eat something so hard?" She then dropped it to the water when the little critter snapped one of its claws at her. "Uwa! Oh no."

Slaine simply laughed. "They can be a bit shy and defensive when threatened."

And just like that, the tension between the two died down. For the rest of the morning, the Princess remained ever by the boy's side, pulling one fish to the net at a time. The soothing wind, the calm waves. It was a peaceful life. A pointless yet, fortunate existence.

If only this life would go on forever…

And just before the peaceful silence lulled the Princess to sleep, a sudden gust of wind startled both of them apart. Immediately she bolted upward from the pier, the fish scattered, the calm waves raged.

"What the?" Slaine, sensing the same feeling of dread quickly jolted from his seat darting his eyes towards the rising sun. And from there, he could see in the distance a flotilla of ships sailing in their direction.

"Those are… Terran ships." Asseylum recognized their design for she spent many days in one such ship herself. But these were larger, faster and many of them had barrels of weapons that she had never seen before.

Another gust of wind came and following it were flocks of jets and helicopters that flew overhead.

Slaine returned to her side and covered her head. "Princess, please get down! It's dangerous!" The girl followed and the two quickly abandoned the pier leaving their morning catch back into the sea.

Soon after the planes and ships came into sight, explosions followed afterward coming in the direction of where the jets headed. Gunfire and whistling missiles were joined, blackening the sky with large puffs of smoke.

It was all just a memory. A bad nightmare. The Princess wanted to say that it was, but there was no denying it. She wanted to forget it, the war, the deaths, all of it. But life wasn't about to let her do that. Just when she thought she could stay here. Live an ordinary peaceful life with someone she cared for, perhaps… that would be enough.

But no matter how much she tried to bury it, the world seemed to have a way of reminding her of it.

The explosions and gunfire in the distance was an answer that the boy wasn't hoping for. As they exited the lodge and gaze southward towards a long ruin of structures, they could make out the mortar shells and fire in the distance. A fierce battle was raging and it seemed obvious that the Martian Knights were involved in it.

The booming sounds of rockets came forward, followed by roaring engines of fighter planes and helicopters. The Terrans were launching a massive counterattack with what little power they had in hand, and it was plain to see… they weren't winning. Without Aldnoah, the power that the Martian Knights possessed, the gap between their strength became immeasurable. Like unconscious lambs, these soldiers were sent to the slaughterhouse, only to have their hopes shattered by the cold reality.

Every spark that shot through the air made the Princess gasp and flinch. Though she could not see it, she was well aware that people were dying. They were literally throwing themselves at their enemies, fighting in the name of survival. Quite a pointless effort.

"Princess. Please return to the house." Slaine advised but his voice only reached deaf ears. Asseylum continued to look at the blackened sky watching the fires of war erupting once again. His words were drowned by the gun barrels exploding in the distance.

"No…" Asseylum begged as she muffled her tears. "Please… no more." Weakened and knowing well what was occurring on the other side of their little paradise, the Princess' legs unbuckled and she fell on her knees.

"Princess Asseylum!" The blonde boy rushed to her side in panic, grabbing her just as she fell. The girl buried herself on his chest sobbing. She cried fully in despair, only to find her voice muffled in Slaine's clothes. She pleaded to the knights, her grandfather, to Slaine, even to the gods above for it to stop. For the senseless slaughter to end. She couldn't take it anymore. All the deaths, the burden she had to bear, the sins of her crimes weighed on her shoulder. They were too much.

Slaine could do nothing but embrace the Princess in return. He could only ease her pain, not erase it. Only he could do that…

Asseylum wondered if this was the price she had to pay for her selfishness. The price for the world to pay for her coming here.

_'Is there no one left who can put an end to the Knights' Folly?'_

Only one face came to the Princess' mind.

"Inaho… san…"

**(Somewhere in Siberia)**

In a quiet room deep within the caves of a hidden base, a lonesome boy awoke from his slumber as if answering the pleas of the Princess.

"Welcome back to the land of the living… or at least that's what I'd like to say."

**A/N: Someone told me to watch Aldnoah Zero. He said, 'Yeah, this will totally get your MVLV feel again' TOTAL BS man! It just got me pissed and annoyed to no end and forced me to write this fanfic cuz there's no way I can hold it in until January!**


	2. Awakening

**Chapter 2: Awakening**

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Said the good doctor Soma as he watched Inaho groggily raise his body from his sickbed. "…or at least that's what I'd like to say. Though I would think that some people would say it would've been better to be dead."

Inaho Kaizuka looked around with his one undamaged eye. He couldn't recognize his surroundings. It had the look of a hospital yet it didn't feel like one. It certainly wasn't his house or an apartment that's for sure. The walls looked worn down, almost breaking from the lack of maintenance and it seems like there are only three beds here, and the other two were unoccupied.

"Dr. Yagarai…" The boy sputtered out earning a smile from the good doctor.

"Oh… you remember me. That's good. I guess we can rule off memory loss from your injuries." The man gently handed the weary soldier a cup of water from his table. It took Inaho almost a minute to understand that his throat was parched.

"Where… and… when am I?" Inaho asked.

"The date is May 17, 2014. You've been asleep for four months, four days and eight hours. As for where… well… I guess it's safe to say… somewhere at the Northern tip of Siberia near the Arctic Ocean."

"Siberia!? Argh!" The boy flinched downward towards his stomach.

"Oh dear. Please refrain yourself from making any sudden moves." The doctor advised him a bit too late for that matter. "It will be difficult to apply those stitches again at your current condition and… medical supplies are pretty scarce at the moment. Now—before you inquire anymore, let me ask: How are you feeling?"

"I can't… really… feel anything." Inaho answered returning to his pillow. "Cold maybe… and my back itches."

The doc took note of those facts and quietly tinkered with the blood pack dangling from the side of the bed. "Well that's to be expected. You did lose a lot of blood back there and you sustained many injuries as well as multiple bone fractures." Soma continued as he checked the boy's pupils and tonsil. "You don't seem to have any permanent damage and you lost a baby-tooth. It should grow back eventually—but the good news is that you're not dead. Congratulations."

"You're not exactly good on your bedside manners." Inaho grunted annoyingly to which the doctor simply shrugged off.

"I'm not being paid to make up stories."

"No. But you seem to be pretty good in hiding things from your patient." Yagarai raised a brow in question to the boy's choice of words. "I might be groggily… but I haven't lost all my senses, Doctor…"

Soma remained speechless for a moment before finally admitting defeat. "Your sister was right about you." He said with a tired smile. "You really are sharp, Junior Kaizuka."

"If you're saying that, then that means Yuki-nee is fine too." Inaho added continuing to impress the good doctor in his own game of wit. "Is she…?"

"She's fine." Soma answered waving the boy's worries off. "But I suppose you want to get a full detail of yourself."

"If you don't mind."

The doctor then calmly closed the blinds to the window, engulfing the room in a dark atmosphere before turning on the monitor on the wall. The images shown roughly looked like a skeleton with many of its bones crushed.

"Let's see. If I have to go from top to bottom then I'd say your worse injuries are at the head and back. You suffered a gunshot wound on your right eye damaging your cranium and cervical vertebrae. Luckily it was only minor and the bullet passed through easily. You have four fractured ribs caused by a falling and severe damage to your spine. I had to perform surgery and add an exoskeleton to keep the rest of your body from falling apart. That would explain the itch on your back. I'm sorry to say that there's nothing I can do about your eye. The damage was too much."

"It's fine." Inaho acknowledged it, knowing well that it was hopeless. "I only need one eye to see straight."

"As for the rest of your body, you suffered a few cuts and bruises but nothing life threatening. The exoskeleton spine I gave you should hold out you will need to have me adjust it now and again." The doctor continued. "You should consider yourself lucky. Not many people can survive what you went through."

"Do you have something for the pain?"

Soma shook his head in reply. "If it were up to me, I'd prescribe you with a bottle of painkillers. But unfortunately that's not up for me to decide. I just treat patients now."

Those words alone made Inaho wonder. He had been asleep for four months. Something must've gone on since his slumber. "Doctor. What… happened? In the Landing Castle."

"Ah… so you do remember. Well… I guess you'll hear it eventually." The doctor lowered his head as he answered. "The battle at the United Earth Forces Headquarters was… a victory, if you could call it that. The Landing Castle was taken the moment their defenses went down. Without the Aldnoah, the remaining defenders surrendered to us. But… at the same time… casualties on our side were also extremely high. The Headquarters was also damaged making it almost inhabitable for any of us to remain."

"It's that bad?"

"Not really." The doctor shook his head in reply. "After the enemy surrendered, Captain Magbaredge took over command and set up some semblance of order. We got around it for a few days until we met up with another organized military group."

"Another group?"

"Yeah but I think that's enough for now. I'm just a doctor so I don't really understand most of the military politics. Your sister can probably tell you more, which reminds me. I should probably tell her that you're awake. Otherwise she'd lynch me."

**(Count Gustav's Landing Castle) (Beijing, China)**

The Landing Castle. The home of the Martian Knights and the fortress of the Vers invasion force stood at the ruins of a once great city. Like a monument symbolizing their dominance over the world, these structures towered even the tallest skyscrapers overlooking the creatures that they deem—were beneath them.

In the central command room of that particular structure, a single figure stood out in his red uniform earning the attention of his subordinates.

"Count Gustav. Welcome back, my lord." One of the Martian officers bowed lowly as the knight strolled pass him. "How was your battle with the enemy?"

"Boring." He answered with a tiresome sigh. Finding his seat at the top of the room, a flick of his finger called the attention of his retainers who served him hand and foot. A glass was placed in his hand poured with fine wine that would envy the lips of many exotic drinkers. "These lesser beings are no better than the vermin we trap back home for sport. I expected more from them. It was hardly worth steeling ourselves for a long bitter campaign."

"It only goes to show the might of the Vers Empire, my lord. Taking this planet will be easier than we anticipated because of what you have done today. Your title of knight is justly earned."

The knight scoffed. "I feel more like a butcher herding a bunch of cattle to the slaughterhouse. Speaking of which, how goes the herding of these creatures?" The retainer quickly directed his lordship to the main monitor where it displayed his soldiers gathering Terrans by the numbers.

"Yes, we have preceded with Phase 2 of colonization, my lord. We have herded nearly thousands of Terrans from the city alone and have begun construction of work camps. We've also begun demolishing most of the city to make room for our factories and farmland. However, progress has been delayed with some resistance from the… locals. But it should be resolved in due time."

"Hmph… even in defeat they refuse to see the futility of their actions." Gustav motioned boringly before hinting his empty glass to his servant who quickly poured him another round. "Swear allegiance or be annihilated. They have but two choices."

"Do you wish to handle this, my lord?"

"Hunting cowards is beneath me." The knight whipped, making the retainers around him flinch. "Let small fry contend with small fry. Staining my arms of my Erythraeum with their blood will insult me."

"Of… of course my lord. I apologize."

"I assume the rest of the colonization is going smoothly then?"

The retainer nodded back in reply. "Y… yes my lord. Count Olius has taken the city of New Orleans and is already marching westward to take the fertile areas in the countryside. And Count Erwel has just finished pacifying the resistance in Maputo."

"Hmph. What a bore. I'm certain the others are grunting about this." A sudden eerie pause filled the room making the Count raise a brow in question. "What is it?"

"Well… my lord. We… have just heard from the Moon Base that Count Cruhteo's Landing Castle has been destroyed."

"WHAT!?" The Count's eyes widened as his wine glass shattered on the floor. "Explain… now."

The subordinate complied and opened a folder he had on hand. "Details are a bit sketchy at the moment but it was confirmed that the Terrans were able to destroy the Landing Castle almost completely. We do not know how they did it but there were no survivors. Among the casualties are also Sir Trilliam, Lady Femianne and Sir Vlad."

"Impossible. Four of our knights? How can that be?" Lord Gustav gritted his teeth in anger. "Why haven't we been informed of this!?"

"We had trouble communicating with the Moon Base for some reason. We only got the details yesterday."

"This is a disgrace. To be beaten by these vermin. Count Cruhteo should be ashamed of himself. Losing to those filthy Terrans."

"There is… one more, my lord."

"What? Another knight fell to these lesser beings?" The Count seethed in anger barely containing his irritation.

"Yes sire. About four months ago, Count Saazbaum attempted a lone attack in the U.E.F Headquarters in Russia and was defeated."

"Saazbaum!? Impossible. I can see the other four defeated but Saazbaum." Gustav smashed his fist on the table rattling the nearby bottle. "This is unacceptable. Send out Sky Carriers to both Landing Castles. I want to know what barbaric enemy is responsible for this transgression!"

"But my lord, we're still in the middle of our colonization process. Transferring men and resources will halt our progress completely."

"To hell with the herding! I will not stand idle while the enemy makes a mockery out of the Orbital Knights!"

"That won't do, milord." Another voice interrupted earning the attention of the officers in the room. A lone feminine figure entered whose height barely caught below the Count's shoulders. She wore the same red uniform as the knight, with eyes that matched her clothes, and her long silver hair catching just above her waist. "If our colonization project is a step behind the others, we will become the laughing stock of the nobility, milord."

"Amoretta…" The Count raised his hand, hinting his servant to procure another glass. "I thought you were still in Mongolia distinguishing yourself in battle with your sister."

The silver haired maiden bowed politely as she answered back. "The worms were of no challenge to our strength, milord. Their decadent mindset bore us so we made quick work of them. I wanted to report this to you myself, but I never imagined hearing that our own comrades would fall prey to such… primitive creatures."

"Indeed." The Count agreed cupping another glass of wine from his servant. "Which is why we must discover who is responsible for this and restore the good name of the Orbital Knights."

"Then why not send us instead of your subjects?" The sword maiden proposed with a sly grin that would make the devil himself chuckle with glee. "It would spare you the resources you need in colonizing the planet for the Empire and it would also be an opportunity for us to repay you for your patience with us after all these years."

The Count turned his gaze to the girl and gave it some thought. But in the end he agreed. "Very well. I shall leave the investigation to you two. But I don't want you going alone. I shall have a team of engineers follow you to find the truth of this matter."

"Thank you, milord." Amoretta bowed deeply and calmly made her way towards the entrance, all the while her grin grew.

"Sire… do you think it's alright to send them?" A retainer inquired with his tone full of worries. "Aren't they a bit young?"

"Don't let their appearance fool you." Gustav replied accepting a new glass of wine in hand. "They might have the appearance of children but they're older than you think. Assemble the engineer team, hurry. I want this matter settled before I report to His Majesty"

**(Siberia) (Infirmary)**

Inaho let out a bored sigh as looked at the unchanging scenery around him. Unable to move even his legs, he felt trapped in that bed like an invalid who could only wait for his wounds to heal. After finally getting a bearing to his condition and his surrounding, he was able to keep himself from being overwhelmed by the cold.

"Your sister is on her way." Dr. Yagarai announced placing the phone down on its receiver next to the computer. "She seems excited to hear that you recovered so she should be here soon."

"She doesn't have to…"

"Oh don't be like that." Soma gave out a small laugh. "You really should've seen her. There wasn't a single moment that went by that she wouldn't stay by your side. I'm a bit jealous. You have a real guardian angel watching over you."

"No… it's just Penivia." The boy added making the good doctor raise a brow in question. "But then… I guess that would make me… Hypnos."

"The god of sleep?" Soma inquired which Inaho didn't bother answering. "Well, whatever you say. I should probably get back to my other patients. There aren't any nurses around here so you'll have to help yourself get by. Oh… and before I forget. Here…" The doctor then took out a familiar pendant from his cupboard.

"What's this?" The boy inquired.

"We found this when you were brought back from the Landing Castle. You were clutching it so tightly that we had to pry it off your hand." Inaho's eyes widened in disbelief the moment he saw the trinket. He remembered that pedant. A single glimpse was all it took for his head to throb. In but a flash of a second, all of his experience returned, his memories clicked into place.

"Seylum…" The boy was able to say through his raspy voice. "The Princess… what happened to her?" The doctor's expression visibly darkened at the mention of the said Princess. He turned his head around obviously not wanting to answer. "Doctor…"

A visible sigh signaled that the good doctor didn't want to keep anything from the patient. "We don't know." He answered at last. "After the battle, we tried looking for her but… there was no trace. But we have presumed that she may be… dead."

"Presumed?" Inaho noted. "Then she's missing."

"I would like to say that as well. But… many of us believe that it may be the latter."

"How so?"

The doctor shifted his glasses as he answered. "The Aldnoah Drive in the Deucalion, shut down."

The blood in Inaho's veins froze in their place. He knew exactly what it meant. Though the power of Aldnoah was still beyond Terran understanding, he knew enough of its more known quality to make rapid assumptions. Only those with the activation sequence of the power are able to activate the Aldnoah Drives—or… the members of the royal family of the Vers Empire. And should one of them lose conscious or die… then the drives themselves will also stop. Inaho knew full well why people would assume.

"I'm sorry." The doctor added, placing the pendant on the boy's open palm. "I understand that she meant a lot to you."

"No. It's fine." Inaho replied coldly like he always does. He clenched the pendant tightly, holding the small torrent of emotions stirring in him. "This is… war… after all. Life is cheap, especially on the battlefield."

Dr. Yagarai gave a sympathetic smile. He was about to leave when the door suddenly came bursting open with a loud booming voice following. "Nao-kun!" A tall dark haired woman entered. Her face riddled with sweat despite the cold and her breathing erratic, like she had just run through a marathon.

"Yuki-n…" Nao was barely able to get a word out when he saw both arms grabbing his shoulders pulling him over to a tight embrace.

The doctor wanted to warn the woman that her brother was still injured but it seemed rather pointless. The good doctor knew that there was a time and place for everything so a little compromise was in order. He darted his eyes to the small stack of paper on his desk feigning to ignore the sibling as they reattached themselves.

Inaho tried to push her off but there was little strength in his body to do so. Her sister's grip was like a python's body wrapping itself around your face and the exo-skeletal arm she had tripled that strength.

"Yuki-nee…"

"Thank goodness." Yuki cut the boy off, bringing herself closer if that was even physically possible. "Thank goodness you're… awake." The warm drips of tears could be felt on Inaho's shoulder. It softened him, making the boy return the hug. "Thank god…"

The boy flashed a hidden smile before finally mustering enough strength to speak. "Yuki-nee. You're… hurting a bit."

A sniff and a snort was her reply when she finally released him. She laughed and tried to wipe off the river streams on her cheeks before she answered. "After four months of sleep and that's all you have to say to your dear sister, you idiot."

Again he smiled, grateful for her joy. "Sorry… for making you worry."

"Oh forget it. I'm just glad you're alright."

The doctor then feigned a cough to grab their attention for a moment. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I have other duties to attend to."

"Yes of course. Thank you very much, Dr. Yagarai." The elder Kaizuka bowed deeply in gratitude.

"I'm just doing my job." He waved it off. "But seeing as how you two will be busy catching up, I can probably help you requisite some painkillers."

"You'd do that?"

_'Requisite painkillers?'_ Inaho thought to himself as he listened to their exchange. Something was wrong and he could feel it in his guts but his mind was still too foggy to make any sense of it.

"The supply office is just by the triage center." The doctor explained. "I can probably get you your rations too if you want."

"That would help me greatly, Doctor. Thank you." Again Yuki bowed, almost too appreciatively.

"Like I said, I'm just doing my job."

With the doctor gone, Yuki diverted her full attention back to her brother, relatively glad that he was no longer in a coma. It was painful to watch him sleep there, hoping that his eyes would open once more.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, after wiping the fountains from her eyes. "Are you in pain or anything?"

"Nothing that the doctor seemed to be worried about." Inaho answered reassuring her. "Though I'm a little baffled about the surgery. It's not exactly pleasant to have metal in your body."

"Well I guess that's another trait we share." Yuki showed off her slightly worn out exoskeleton arm which was responsible for her drastic increase in strength.

"You mean, it's the only trait we share." He corrected, earning a pout from his sister. "Just kidding."

"Geez. This is what you get when you keep doing reckless stunts. Eventually you'll go too far and get yourself hurt."

"I could say the same for you, Yuki-nee." The boy countered. "Going into battle with your injuries shouldn't be allowed."

"Let's not start that again, can we?"

"I won't if you won't." He finished with a weak smile.

Yuki sighed. It only took a few seconds for the love in the air to be dashed away. "If you're strong enough to crack jokes then you should be fine. But take it easy for once, will you? I don't want your friends to worry more than they need to."

"It seems like I don't really have a choice in that matter."

"Darn right you don't!" Yuki scolded. "You were lucky during those fights but don't expect luck alone to help you."

The boy darted his good eye at her. "You really believe that I… was lucky?"

"Absolutely. And so… as your big sister, I'm here by putting you under house arrest until you recover."

"I don't think the law of our government applies in Siberia."

Yuki's head began to throb in irritation. Slowly she was beginning to see the old Inaho ticking her off. "The law is the law! You can't just change it whenever it's convenient to you!"

"If that's the case then I'll file a lawsuit against you for false imprisonment and kidnapping."

"Grrr! You idiot! As long as you're living in my house you're living under my rules!"

"Then I declare a revolution to the totalitarian government."

"Ugh… are you trying to ruin our reunion like this?"

But the boy returned her a smile as she sighed. "I was just hoping to relive our daily routine back then… like before."

"Nao…"

"I am… happy to see you well, Yuki-nee." A slight blush appeared on the woman's cheeks as she saw her brother trying to cheer her up with the usual comedic fights they had before. "But what did you mean by earlier?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"You and the doctor said something about requisitioning painkillers. What did you mean by that?"

Yuki groaned in reply. She had almost forgotten how sharp her brother was. His cleverness and cold calculative thinking was top notched, rivaling even those of the top military officers in the U.E.F. She sometimes wondered if his abilities were passed down genetically or did he pick that habit out of the blue.

"Don't worry about those things." She answered, avoiding the question entirely. "You don't have to think too much."

"Yuki-nee… wh…" The boy never got to finish when he felt Yuki's hands cupping his cheeks.

"For once, let me be the one who protects you. My big-sister pride will be stripped if I let you do all the heavy lifting." Like a spell cast on him, Inaho couldn't help but allow the woman to take leave. For the first time, the boy was left speechless by his own lazy sister. He sat there, in silence and watched the door close.

"Penivia…"

…

**(Tokyo) (Ruins of Count Cruhteo's Landing Castle)**

Silence and deafening echoes repeated themselves that night at the ruined city of Tokyo. The once proud neon lit city of Tokyo which bustled with life for hundreds of years now lay darkened as if the very life was sucked out both literally and metaphorically from it. And right dab in the middle of it was the wreckage of a Martian Landing Castle.

A single Sky Carrier whistled through the sky, its many officers gazing at the wreck in disbelief. It was plainly obvious that they were surprised to see this scene.

After facing the pathetic resistance from the Terrans and witnessing the power of the Orbital Knights, they felt a sense of superiority over the local population and built an illusion of invincibility. But that illusion was immediately shattered when they saw the sight before them.

The Landing Castle. The symbol of the Knight's dominance over the world was destroyed almost completely. It was unthinkable that a fortress of such magnitude could fall to the weak willed Terrans. But no matter how much they denied it, the truth continued to stare at them in the face.

It took only but a moment before the team of Martian engineers and soldiers disembarked and began their investigation on site.

While the grunts busied themselves with work, Amoretta flew overhead in her personal Kataphrakt with a bored expression on her face. Beside her was a girl who bore a professional look with the same silver hair as hers.

"You shouldn't frown too much, dear sister. You'll grow wrinkles."

"Oh… Charlotte." The silver haired knight stretched her arms out as she replied. "I'm just a bit disappointed. I was hoping to kill some vermin on our way here. But it seems like the people before us already finished the damn job."

Unlike her sister who resembled much of a wild and untamed Amazon, Charlotte had a more professional feel around her. Her shortened silver hair and the glasses she wore gave her a stern and business-like appearance.

"You can't expect there to be a fight everywhere we go." Charlotte reasoned only to be shot down by a groan from her sibling. "Besides, didn't you practically bathe in blood in Shanghai? You barely left any for me."

"That's because I unleashed 15 years of pent up stress in that iron prison in the sky. The Terrans should know what they were getting at fighting us."

"Indeed." Charlotte chuckled knowing well what she was saying. The 15 years of peace that brokered between Vers and the U.E.F was intolerable. Because of the destruction of the Hyper Gate on the Moon, both sides had to agree to a ceasefire which made all the knights itching. For more than a decade, the 37 noble clans of the Vers Empire had to wait and watch as their goal hung close to them just beyond their reach.

"Still… I never expected to see Cruhteo's Castle to be in such a mess." Amoretta added switching one of her monitors to the view of the wrecked Landing Castle. "I actually liked the guy. It must've taken quite an army to be able to deal such damage to one of our fortresses."

"Agreed." Charlotte nodded in reply. "Perhaps there is more to the Terrans than meets the eye." She immediately stopped when an incoming transmission cut her off. "Report…"

"Lady Charlotte." The soldier on screen answered. "We've completed the initial scans of the castle of Count Cruhteo. There are no survivors."

The girl shrugged it off. It was to be expected that the enemy would leave none to tell the tale. "Did you find anything that would indicate the perpetrators?"

"We're looking through what's left of the data archives to find out what happened but it seemed to have been heavily damaged during the attack. However we did not find the body of the Count among the dead." The man explained. "We have discovered wreckage of Terran Kataphrakts in the vicinity as well as many other vehicles. It all indicates that there was a battle here."

"So the Terrans were responsible after all."

"An't it obvious?" Amoretta pointed out much to her sister's annoyance.

Charlotte ignored her and continued. "What of the Aldnoah Drive? Did you check that?"

"Yes ma'am. We confirmed that the Aldnoah Drive has shut down completely."

"If the drive is turned off then we can conclude that the Count is no longer with us." Charlotte lowered her head offering a quiet prayer to the deceased. "Continue with the investigation and report back to me. Leave no stone unturned."

"Yes my lady."

After the monitor switched off, Amoretta suddenly gave out a long and exhausting yawn. "What a snooze fest. If I knew that there weren't any fighting here I wouldn't have volunteered us for this stupid job."

**(Siberia) (U.E.F. Hideout) (Infirmary)**

"Tch…" Inaho let out an annoyed grunt as he made another attempt to get himself off the bed. Ever since his sister left he had been trying non-stop to get himself standing. But unfortunately the grate that kept him from falling over became the thing that kept him from leaving the bed.

He wanted to go back to sleep and get the much needed rest that the doctor ordered but there was just too much going on in his mind at the moment. Four months had past and all the information in his head wasn't up to date. That alone boggled him. But what really got on his nerves was that he knew that Yuki was hiding something. He knows that his dear sister didn't want him to be exposed to the cruel reality of the world but she can't keep him in here forever either.

Clank!

… at least if he wasn't trapped to this bed.

Inaho tried to remove the railings again but whoever placed it here must've screwed it tightly because it seemed impossible to remove them at all. The boy then quickly stopped in his attempt when he noted some noise coming from the door. He feigned sleep and hid his face on the pillows.

"Yo Inaho!" A cheery yet familiar voice called out his time as the door swung wide open. A blonde boy and a dark haired girl the same age as the patient entered.

Knowing well who the two were, the boy in the bed relaxed and turned to greet them. He knew these two as Calm Craftman and Inko Amifumi, former classmates of his high-school days before the war and comrades in arms.

"Calm…" He muttered with a hint of relief. "… and Inko? What are you doing here?"

"We came to visit you, silly." The blonde haired boy answered the obvious.

Inko nodded in agreement before explaining. "We heard from Lt. Kaizuka that you were finally awake so we thought we may as well come by. Nina and the others wanted to come too but they're stuck in the late shift today."

Late shift?

"You really didn't have to come all the way… just for me." Inaho shrugged, feigning not to notice the new term from his friends.

"Hey come on now." Calm said cheerily. "What are friends for if they can't disturb your peaceful nap time?"

"I don't think that's what friends are for." Inko added with a sweat dropping on her brow.

"Of course they are. Friends are there to get you in and out of trouble, let you copy their homework, and get dates on a cold, lonely, Christmas Eve!"

They shared a small laugh in that tiny room, feeling a sense of normalcy after months of conflict. They almost wished that they could enjoy their high-school just one day longer. Those innocent moments where they didn't have to worry about ammunitions or rations.

"So how are you feeling?" Inko inquired trying to press a conversation, only to dart her attention to his bandaged eye. "Does it hurt?"

"Not as much as I expected." Inaho answered, looking back at the worried girl, trying to reassure her of his injuries. "I should be able to recover within a month or two. But it does annoy me when I try to sleep."

"I guess all that reckless actions finally caught up." Calm pointed out grinning widely like he had just won a bet with him. "All that crazy stunt you pulled finally hit its limit."

"You're starting to sound like Yuki-nee."

"I'll take that as a compliment." The blonde engineer added smiling even wider as he darted towards the raven haired girl sitting beside the patient. "But many you really pulled a close one. When they brought you in, you were a complete mess."

'So I've heard.' Was what Inaho wanted to say but kept quiet, hinting his friend to continue.

"Inko here was crying beside you the whole time." Calm recalled, gesturing to the girl sitting by Inaho's side.

"Oi Calm!" The young raven haired soldier exclaimed, fighting a mad blush creeping on her cheeks. "You don't have to tell him that!"

But the boy ignored her plea and went on as if he was reenacting the whole scene by memory. "She was holding your hand when they brought you in the infirmary. You really should've seen her. It was like a scene from a war drama. 'Ah Inaho-kun. Please don't die on me. I can't live without you' Oops!" He quickly hopped back a feet avoiding the girl's powerful kick.

"Shut up! I never anything like that!"

There was really something appealing about the young Amifumi, that Inaho noted, watching as his friends bicker about as if the world itself wasn't even ending tomorrow, only to smile back at the girl who was about to land a punch on the blonde. "Sorry to make you worry so much, Inko."

The girl stopped in her attack, switching from her berserker mode to an innocent high-school kid fidgeting her fingers. "Ah… I… wasn't exactly that… worried. I was just… looking out for…"

"Oh come on. Don't beat around the bush." Calm pestered only to earn a stomp to his feet. "Yeoww! What was that for!? My intentions were good!"

"Anyway, we just came by to see if you were alright. Oh by the way, we brought you a little something too." The girl happily pulled out a small boxed bento from her backpack which felt warm at the touch. "Ta da! Specialty bento made by the new cafeteria lady."

"You really didn't have to." Inaho said feeling a bit embarrassed to be pampered by his friends.

But Calm simply patted him on the back, reeling him to not think too much on it. "Come on now. What are friends for if you can't take advantage of their generosity once in awhile? You earned it after the stunts you pulled back in Novastal'sk. You should probably take it easy for awhile, or until you get better at least. We still need our ace in the hole before this war is over."

All Inaho could do was laugh.

**(Later that evening)**

Inaho found it strangely peaceful here in this quiet infirmary room. Despite the cold wind that sneaks in from the window every now and then, he was actually starting to enjoy the serenity. A part of his mind wondered if Calm was right and that he should take it easy while his body recovers. Though it was hard to swallow, Inaho had to admit that his friend might be right.

No one has been able to pull what they did during the first days of war. No one has been able to push back the Martians more than them, much less defeat any of them with such minimal losses. If Captain Magbaredge was here she'd probably say that the boy and his team had more than earned their leave. Heck even Inaho thought that the lazy Lt. Marito might even give them a compliment after what they went through.

The day went on without anything much happening. Dr. Yagarai came by again to take his diagnosis but it was more of a formality than anything serious. More of his friends came to visit and even the shy and timid Nina came by earlier to pay him a good-will visit. Soon, the light outside began to dim signaling night approaching.

The boy decided to leave the thinking for later and enjoyed the snacks that his friends brought. He was pretty hungry and the thought of being asleep for four months added to his famish. But… despite all the enjoyment he was having, there was still something bothering him. Something in what his visitors said and done.

There was obviously a strange system going on around this base and sadly he wasn't part of it. Yui refused to share any information whatsoever and forbade the boy from even exiting the room without an escort. If it wasn't for the portably potty left behind Inaho would've called it imprisonment. But he had little choice in this matter. He was still too weak, too frail to move and this little bed/prison wasn't making it easier. Many thoughts clouded his mind and he had no way of accessing any information.

His quiet slumber however, was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in." The boy said after a brief pause. He wondered who would visit him at such hour and much to his surprise, it was none other than a Martian in disguise who came. "It's… you…"

Rayet Areash, a Martian with a somewhat complicated history. Inaho recognized her unkempt brown curly-hair and purple eyes almost instantly as she came into view. Though she still had that hoodie on her back, she seemed to have traded her shirt and denim shorts for a pair of military uniform underneath. From a distance, she would look like a factory worker but up close you can tell that the material on her clothes was military standard.

"Hey…" The Martian girl said in the same stoic manner she has been.

"Rayet…" Inaho recalled her name earning a smile from her lip. "What are you doing here?"

"A little dwarf told me that Snow White woke from her slumber." She joked which the boy squinted his good eye at. She chuckled softly. "Just kidding. I thought it was customary to visit a patient when he gets better." And before the boy could say anything else, Rayet pulled out a knife and an apple from her pocket offering it to him.

…

It looked like an ordinary thing in the world. A sick boy in his sickbed with a gorgeous lady peeling apples for him by his side. If people were to look at this scene they'd say that these two were a couple having a sweet moment by themselves.

"Here…" The Martian offered a slice which he hesitantly accepts.

"Thanks…" Inaho said with some semblance of gratitude.

A moment of silence went by. The sound that was heard from outside was no longer there. Everyone must've gone to sleep when the moon hits the sky.

"So you're a soldier now?" Inaho inquired gesturing to the rank patch on her shoulder. Unlike his friends that came visited, they all wore standard recruit uniforms. Calm was still in his denim maintenance worker outfit but Inko and Nina had attires that reminded the boy of Eskimos. Either they were charged as civilian or the dress code changed during his 4 months sleep.

"Yeah… I guess you could say that." Rayet answered looking down on her uniform. There was a hint of irritation in her voice just enough for Inaho to catch it. "For what it's worth… they probably just needed someone to fill in their ranks. They only let me do guard duties and such. No great accomplishment there. All the real soldiers are fighting in the front lines."

"How bad is it?"

The Martian paused a second time before answering. "Bad enough…"

"Rayet…"

The girl sighed. She understood that the boy had only been awake for a few hours but yet he was able to surprise her with his incredible stamina. "You know your sister won't like it if I told you this."

"Information is necessary if I am to recover. Tell me."

Another sigh. "Maybe it would be better if I showed you. Can you walk?" Her answer came when Inaho unscrewed the railing of his bed using it as a clutch. "Follow me."

…

The comfort of that heated room washed away the moment Inaho exited that room. Rayet aided him the whole way to the door. It took a moment for the boy to get the feeling back on his feet. Not having used his legs for four months must've taken its toll on his body making it numb to the point that the blood in his veins barely even reacted. The itch on his back was still there and much of his injuries hurt like hell.

But once he was out of that room, all comfort that he previously had was erased by a cold gust in the air. The chill from the snow could be felt from his spine all the way to his bones. It tingled like the sharp end of death's scythe teasing one's skin. Inaho covered his bandaged eye feeling a rather strange squishy sensation. But when his good eye opened up, the scenery before him awoke him from his pain.

It was a fortress city. Or… at least something that looked the part. From his humble private infirmary room, he could see it all. There was an entire city built inside a mountain that stretched for about 10 to 30 miles at least. Buildings made out of concrete and bricks stretched out to each corners, some armed with military grade anti-air weapons. A single large dirt road cuts through the fort with multiple paths branching away in various segments like a tree. Dug inside the mountain itself was a compound with a massive radar dish built on top of it. Judging by the various watchtowers and fences, it was obviously the headquarters of the military.

The building he was in seemed to be a private apartment of sorts or a dorm room considering the size. However, there doesn't appear to be any other resident other than the insects that crawl in the night.

"Where…?" The boy inquired directing his gaze at Rayet who answered.

"We're in a cavern in Northern Siberia." She explained. "I think somewhere near the Taymyr Peninsula. The snowstorm and terrain makes it difficult for the enemy to find us. The soldiers here call it—Grasne." Inaho remained silent hinting her to continue. "Total population at the moment is roughly 35,000. 1/3 of it are all military personnel including their families and ½ of that are all wounded. The rest are refugees that fled from around the world."

"Only 35,000?" Inaho asked earning a nod.

"In this base alone." She explained. "There are other places around Russia that still holds Terrans but this place is probably one of the largest. After the U.E.F. headquarters was destroyed, we retreated northward with most of the supplies and found this place. We've been busy licking our wounds ever since."

"Who's in command?"

"Hard to say." Rayet shrugged folding her arms as she leaned on the rail. "There are three commanders here and not all of them see eye to eye. But they all seem to agree to one enemy at least."

"Where is everyone?" The boy looked out to the streets wondering where all the people were. He expected the military base to be quiet but this was too quiet.

"Probably sleeping by now. There's a curfew for everyone. Only military personnel are allowed out at night. It makes it easier for us to operate. No one getting in the way."

"How does it operate?" Rayet raised a brow not understanding the question. "How does the system here operate? I'm assuming we're in a military totalitarian state considering the number of soldiers."

"You could call it that. But instead of one head we have three." The Martian added pointing at the flags by the compound. "The U.E.F still has majority but there are also other powers contesting over it. We should probably go back inside before—"

"No." Inaho replied earning a glance from the girl. "Show me more. I need… to see… everything." The boy struggled his way down the stairs pushing himself further just to get a better understanding of the new world he was living in. But like always, he was still too weak and he barely took two steps when his legs finally gave way only to find himself caught by Rayet's quick hands.

"If you're going to have a stroll in the park… make sure you stay warm." She quickly placed her favorite jacket on him, keeping the cold away. "Here… I'll give you a tour around the block."

**(Count Cruhteo's Landing Castle)**

"I'm sooooooo bored!" Amoretta swung her arms widely into the air as if to demonstrate the state of her boredom. "How much longer do we have to stay in this wretched place? It's as dull as the graveyard."

"Now now sister." Charlotte cooed. "You were the one who volunteered for this mission. The least you could do is cooperate with the team."

"If I knew how boring this mission was I never would've volunteered in the first place!" The silver haired Amazon wailed loudly. For the last few hours, the two girls have been sitting in the cockpit of their Kataphrakt looking through files and waiting for the reports of the engineer team that went on ahead. So far all the details were irrelevant and it was beginning to irritate the elderly sister greatly.

The younger sister chuckled back only to be interrupted by another com-link from her controls. "Lady Charlotte. Pardon me for interrupting."

"It's fine. Did you find anything in the data archives?"

The man on the other line shook his head in reply. "I'm sorry ma'am but the archive data files are beyond recovery. It seems like an explosion took it out completely. We've also looked through the other feeds but so far nothing has turned up."

"Then we are at the end of our investigation." The woman said to herself with a disappointed tone.

"Not entirely my lady." The soldier countered expanding the view of the camera. "Though the archives itself was damaged we were able to get something this." The camera then switched views showing a mutilated head of a Kataphrakt.

"That sensory unit…" Charlotte recognized the machine's design despite its hideous damage. "It belongs to Sir Vlad's Kataphrakt, Argyre."

"Yes my lady. It seemed to have been heavily damaged by some unknown force. Fortunately the software survived the blow and we were able to pull the last recorded feed from it. Showing you now."

And soon enough a video began to play on Charlotte's monitor showing the battle hardened Knight crushing through squadron of pathetic Terran armies. With his plasma blade, he tore through their ranks and cut through their armors like a hot knife through butter. It was a glorious sight if slightly boring. Amoretta even took interest in the video and was hoping she'd brought some snacks along for the show.

But the action video soon turn slightly horrid when an Orange colored Terran Kataphrakt appeared. Though it showed little difference with the dozens they saw destroyed, Charlotte could sense something different about that one.

A volley of fire, a dodge and then a quick cut… should've ended the Orange upstart. But to the sisters' amazement, the Orange one seemed to be lasting much longer than those that came before it.

"Hoo? Not bad. What a nice little vermin." Amoretta said through her laughing teeth. "He'd make an awesome plaything."

But then suddenly the screen flashed and in an instant the monitor screen looked as if it was hit by some invisible attack. The sisters could hear the knight in the video curse and bark and wanted to restore his honor by defeating them but was stopped by cannon fire. Following the attack, the knight knew that he was overwhelmed and outgunned by his opponents. Before anymore could be shown, the video died, leaving rather bitter cliffhanger in the air.

"Ehh!? What the heck was that?" Amoretta whined. "It was just getting good!"

"Sir Vlad probably ceased his monitor units after that fight." Charlotte deduced. "He probably didn't want this humiliation to be recorded in the archives. An understandable course of action."

"So instead of going down fighting, that guy decided to run away with his tail between his legs? What a joke." Amoretta let out a sadistic chuckle, returning to her bored position. "Tch. What a waste of time. And here I thought we'd find someone worth fighting at least."

"True…" Charlotte agreed with her sister's sentiment. "But this is all the lead we have to go on. I'll have to report this to Lord Gustav."

**(Fort Grasne) (Siberia)**

It was a pitiful sight.

That was the only thought Inaho had in his mind as he dragged his way through the fortress with Rayet by his side. The girl had shown him the state of the Terrans since the battle began. The first stop they made was the hospital near the dorm. People would call it a hospital, but Rayet thought of it as a graveyard.

There were more body bags than wounded lying inside. Either they ran out of graves to put them in, or the soldiers couldn't really be bothered to put to rest their own comrades.

Inside you can see the sickly and weak civilians lining up just to get a chance to see a doctor. Some were huddled by the heater trying to get away from the cold. Some even fiddling over scraps of bread handed to them as rations.

Like beaten dogs they were…

That was the phrase Inaho had in his mind. "What are the statistics?" He asked his guide, darting his good eye at her.

"We're fighting against Martian Knights. The numbers rise every day."

"It's that bad?"

"Worse…" Rayet replied putting her hands in her warm pockets. "Just this morning, the U.E.F forces in Europe staged an all-out attack on one of the Martian Landing Castles in Germany. They probably thought that if we could do it then maybe they could too."

"And what happened?"

"Decimated. Barely ¼ of the attacking force came back… and it was done in only half a day." Rayet paused waving out the guard that saw them.

"Have we won any battles at all?"

"Not since you went to sleep." The girl answered gazing back. "Weapons and ammunitions are plenty… but food and medicine are scarcest to come by."

"What about the supplies in Headquarters?" Inaho inquired remembering the stocks they had back before his final battle with the Martians. "There should've been at least 3 years worth of supplies back there."

Rayet shook her head in response. "The Martian soldiers burned up most of the base. What was left were burned or buried under tons of rubble. Nowadays, civilians have to work to eat. And even the most basic of supplies have to be requested by the military quartermaster."

That alone answered many questions in Inaho's mind. The scarcity of resources, the tightening and strict management of even basic medicine, it all became clear.

"This is what we're reduced to. A beaten up animal with its fangs pulled out." Rayet added scornfully as if to express what little bitterness she had in her mouth. "You can hardly call it a war anymore, yet the Orbital Knights continue to call their cause, noble. What a load of Martian rubbish."

"It's not rubbish." Inaho corrected earning her attention. "This is simply human nature in general. You might see this to be a slaughter or an unjust massacre, but if you look closely at our history, you'll find that this isn't the first time that humans butchered one another for resources. The Chinese and the Mongolians, the Spaniards and the Aztecs. What you think to be an act of atrocity is simply something humans have done to themselves over and over. Viewing it from one perspective is irrelevant."

Rayet remained silent not really understanding what the boy was getting at but it seemed like he understood more of human history than she cared to listen.

"You said that civilians have to work to eat. What kind of work do they do?" Inaho asked.

"Factory work or farming. Manual labor mostly. Those with medical experience are transferred into hospitals like this one. Others are given tasks fitting their skill sets. As for the rest… they simply serve as extra hands to carry around. They earn their 'wage' that way. But even so… there's no guarantee they'll get to eat. Most of the things made are…"

"Prioritized to the military." Inaho deduced. "It's standard procedure. This is war… after all."

Inaho paused, allowing the noise of the hospital to finally sink into his mind. The cries, the yells, the despair. He swallowed it all, and hardened his heart even more so.

But it was quickly cut short when Rayet pushed him out. "Damn!" She cursed out loud when she noted a military truck entering the hospital ground. Soldiers from the fort poured from it, dragging even more wounded into the building. "We shouldn't stay here. Come. My place is nearby."

Rayet quietly pulled the boy to her side, sneaking pass the soldiers, not wanting to get their attention. The trip was rather arduous for an injured boy but eventually they made it to a smaller dorm which seemed to be more inhabited than the one Inaho was in.

"I'm back." Inaho heard his guide said as she entered, wondering who she could announcing it too. And quickly enough he got his answer in the form of a kid and a familiar voice ringing in the air.

"Welcome back Areash-san. How was your… oh?" Inaho's good eye rose a bit in bewilderment.

"You?"

…

Eddelrittuo. That was the name that Inaho recalled. She was supposedly the handmaiden of the late Princess Asseylum who took part in the last battle. How she made it out of there however, was beyond anyone's understanding. Maybe the Martians took pity on her because of her age or perhaps she escaped out of pure luck. It didn't really matter.

Whatever the case, it didn't seem to stop her from serving tea to the newly arrived guest who Rayet brought.

"Here you go." Eddelrittuo stated handing the boy a cup. "Please be careful. It's still hot."

"Thank you." Inaho felt a little weird to have the former handmaiden of the Princess serving him tea. Back when they first met, her attitude towards him was more or less tolerated in the presence of royalty. She was proud, smug and somewhat incompetent at times but she no less had the complete and absolute trust of the Princess.

The apartment room they live in was a small one fitting for a family of two or three. A living room joined with a mini-kitchen with futons to sleep in, and a bathroom. It was probably a standard living quarter for soldiers.

"You two live together?"

"She's my roommate." Rayet answered to the boy's lingering question. "The military thought it would be more efficient to keep two Martians in one room rather than have them separated."

"That's only because Rayet doesn't seem to get on well with the other tenants." Eddelrittuo explained which the girl simply shrugged in reply. "Please wait one moment. I'll have some snacks ready in just a bit."

"Does everyone live like this?" The boy inquired.

"Only military gets these quarters." Rayet explained taking a sip from her cup. "Your friend, Inko and that blonde girl also live here on the second floor."

"You seem rather content with living here." Inaho noticed how calm she was unlike the other soldiers and guards that they came across. "You didn't think to leave?"

"I thought of it a few times. But something held me back…"

"What was it?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. It was either this or join the people surrendering to the Martians."

"Surrendering?"

Rayet nodded. "It's part of their 'Colonization' operations. After securing the areas around the Landing Castle they capture people and put them to work on labor camps. Some refugees deliberately surrendered themselves to them."

"And what do you think about it?"

Rayet stopped and starred deeply at the boy's good eye. "What I think is irrelevant. It's your thoughts now that matters."

"What I think?" Inaho raised his brow, puzzled.

"The Terrans are losing heavily on every ground. People are dying every second of this war. Though others may not agree, I know for a fact that the best chance for us of surviving is having you at the lead." Rayet lowered her cup directing her full attention at the boy in front of her, trying to get a feel for him. "No one here has had a better chance of defeating the Martians than you."

"You're talking about defeating the Martians." Inaho replied. "You think that my knowledge on them is the only weapon against them?"

"It's always been enough to get us through." She urged. "It got us this far. Were it not for you… I would… no… none of us would even be here right now."

The boy let out a small laugh feeling rather embarrassed to be complimented by a beautiful lady. "You overestimate me."

"No. I know I'm right. With you we can defeat the Martians, we can win and…"

"And then what!?" Inaho raised his voice a bit scaring the two girls in the room. "Sorry…" He apologized before explaining himself. "Defeating the Martian Knights is no longer an option. Even if we could, there's no government left to declare ourselves as. Without any political advantage, any victory will surely be a shortsighted one."

"But we can still beat the Martians Knights at least…"

"If we defeat the Martians… it will probably give us 2… maybe 3 years tops before they send another force. Killing the knights will only feed the war even further creating even more conflict. Earth will fall… eventually."

"So you're saying that we should all just roll over and die quietly?" Rayet didn't even bother to hide her discontent. "Is that what you're saying?"

"It would certainly be a less painful death."

"Hey!" The Martian soldier shouted grabbing the wounded boy by his collar. "I didn't wait for four whole months just to have you tell me to die. You want to know the reason why I stayed? It's because of you!"

"Me?" The boy questioned.

"I stayed behind because I know that the best chance we have against the enemy. I stayed… because you can help me… achieve my goals." She tightened her grip, crushing the cloth in her fingers. "We've come too far for you to throw in the towel. We can't quit just because we lost one time! I need… we need you. To end this war."

Inaho was stunned. Even with his one eye he could see that the girl in front of him was struggling. She was struggling for the past months, waiting for him to wake from his coma, waiting for him to get back into the fight.

"Even if we could beat the enemy, without any political power, it would mean nothing in the end." He explained. "With Asseylum dead, any reconcilement or negotiation with the Empire is…"

"The Princess is alive." Eddelrittuo interrupted grabbing the boy's attention. "Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia, Princess of the Vers Empire, is still alive."

"How…?"

"They never found the body." Rayet added, releasing the boy. "When the Martians surrendered, the whole army searched the whole Castle from top to bottom. But they never found the Princess."

Bewildered, Inaho got back his bearing. "How can you be certain?"

"I'm not." Rayet corrected pointing at her roommate. "But she is…"

"I'm certain of it." Eddelrittuo confirmed her beliefs, unwavering. "With all that I am, I know for a fact that the Princess is still out there."

Inaho felt his body weak but his mind was still intact. A flicker of hope flared in his heart. A faint hope. But if there was just a slim chance of victory and turning the tide of this war then you'd be a fool not to take it. What else was there to lose?

And here stood one who was ready to carry him onto the battlefield. One soul who patiently waited for his return. This one girl who truly believed that he alone could turn the tide of this war.

"If she really is still alive… then maybe… we stand a chance."

Rayet's eyes sparked a bit when she heard those words. The patience that she endured for the last four months may still be worth the wait.

"So… what are you going to do now?"

Clutching the Princess's pendant in his hand, Inaho darted his good eye towards the window and declared his goal.

"I… am going to end this war."

Rayet's heart skipped a beat…


	3. The Gathering

**Chapter 3: The Gathering**

**(Lake Baikal) (U.E.F outpost)**

Captain Darzana Magbaredge, an officer of the United Earth Forces let out a bored sigh as she watched the monitors in the control room with tired expression. It was morning… or at least she thought it was morning. With the snowstorm blowing outside it was difficult to tell what time of day it was without a clock in hand.

The outpost she was stationed in was one of many that were scattered around the frozen lands as a forward base to defend against oncoming attack or to conduct a deep strike operation. Bases like these usually had at least a hundred personnel manning its post. But with the war raging at its pace, the Captain was lucky to scrounge up a few able bodies. The only fortunate things about this place are its 12 inch thick walls and the automated defenses that were prepped. Without them, a single Sky Carrier could easily wipe the base off the map.

She looked to the monitors taking note of all the motion sensors strewn around the base making sure no one was trying to sneak their way in without her knowing. It was a tedious job not suited for an officer of her rank but she couldn't really complain, since there was no one around to complain to. The eerie silence gawk her as she playfully tapped the surface of her table trying to create a rhythm.

"Trouble sleeping, Captain?" A familiar voice called to her with a pair of hot coffee mugs in hand. "You know that it's a subordinate's job to do the menial task, not the CO of the base."

"I thought it was time I did some of the work myself." The Captain replied to her XO accepting the mug. "After a month of little activity, you'd actually grow bored of all this snow. How's the maintenance?"

"Some of the Kataphrakts have been frozen solid." Kaoru Mizusaki answered. "The chief decided to store all of them inside the warehouse until the storm passes. He doesn't want them freezing in the middle of the battle."

"Let's hope we don't need them soon." Darzana said to no one in particular. "With all this hail, we'll be lucky just to get a signal from headquarters."

Kaoru let out a small laugh before taking her seat by the captain's side. "The results of the European attack came in last night. The assault was a… complete failure."

Darzana nodded, knowing well the battle report that was delivered to her office that night. "I heard. The assembly is now gathering for a complete reform in strategy. They've ordered all combat effective armies to a defensive role until they can figure out a way to break through the Martian defense lines."

"A complete stalemate, ma'am?"

"If you can call it that." The Captain replied shaking her head. "It's more likely they're just trying to save strength for fights that we might actually need to win. We're lucky that the Martians only have a limited amount of Kataphrakts, otherwise they'd be rolling over our bodies before this war even began."

"I suppose there's always a silver lining somewhere." Kaoru smirked back only to be interrupted by a buzzing noise from the radio.

"This is Clydesdale Leader to base. Clydesdale to base. Is anyone reading me? This storm is getting worse by the minute."

"This is Lake Baikal outpost." Kaoru quickly answered. "We hear you Lt. Marito. You're twelve minutes behind your hourly check-in. Report your status, over."

"Yeah, blame the bad weather. Just another convoy of trucks coming from the old Landing Castle. We're two minutes from the gate. Can you tell those guys to open the doors for us?"

"Roger. The gates will be open soon. Welcome back."

"He seems to be doing rather well." Captain Darzana stated looking at the main gate through the window. There she saw a number of military mechs pour through in an orderly fashion. "Looks like he has a knack dealing with new recruits."

"I guess his time training students back in school is paying off."

**(Fort Grasne) (Inaho's room)**

Inaho let out a grunt as he felt the needle stuck in his veins. He knew that it was for his own good, but having needle stuck inside of you still felt weird. He'd rather take pills but considering how medicine was scarce in that time, he should consider himself lucky.

"There. That should do it." Dr. Yagarai declared as he finished up. "It's just some antibiotics. You just woke up after all so your immune systems should still be weak. I recommend more rest until you get better."

"Thank you doctor." Yuki thanked the man as he gathered his things. "Say thank you to the good doctor, Nao-kun." But the boy let out a grunt in reply feeling the sting in his shoulder. "Ahehe. You never really did like shots even as a kid."

"Are you going to work again?" The boy asked to which the elder sister nodded.

"Yeah. They have me working ragged from dusk till dawn." She whined. "With everything that's been happening, they need me to make sure that things don't get out of order. Keeping the peace in the whole fort is a tiring job. But don't worry, I'll pay you a visit once my shift is over."

"I could help you out if you'd… mmph!" Inaho barely got to finish his sentence when he felt a finger pressed on his lips.

"Shhh. This is your big sister you're talking about here. I can handle any thug or riffraff that comes my way. They don't call me Iron Arm Lady for nothing."

"That's a stupid nickname." The boy commented only to be whacked playfully in the head.

"You just focus on getting better. Breakfast is on the table so feel free to eat it whenever you're hungry. I'll have Inko-chan come by this afternoon to deliver your lunch. But remember, you're not allowed to leave this room."

"Can I at least go to the bathroom? Imprisonment here is taxing."

"Fine." Yuki admitted it. "But don't let me catch you sneaking around or you'll be in big trouble. You got that?" Inaho rolled his eyes in reply. But before Yuki could add anything else, she noticed the good doctor struggling with his cabinet. "Yagarai sensei? Is something the matter?"

"Ah damn. It looks like I left the keys to my supply cabinet." He admitted. "Strange. I don't remember locking this thing last night. I'll probably have to come back later to get my bag later. I hope the lock didn't freeze or it'll be difficult to get things out again."

"Maybe I can pry it open for you?" The lady offered gesturing to her exoskeleton arm.

The doctor sweat-dropped. "No that's fine. I'll just come by later this evening once my shift is over. I don't need you breaking anymore of our equipment, Warrant Officer Kaizuka. Since I'm done here, I'll be leaving now. Good day."

"I guess I should be going too." Yuki agreed. "Remember Nao. No going out. You're still too weak to be going around in that condition."

"Yes, I heard you the first million times." Inaho plugged his hears pretending to block away all the voices. But the doctor quickly recalled something before he left.

"Oh before I forget, Inaho. Your right eye should be healed by now but I'd like to keep the bandage on for another day just to be sure. Once you feel that it's fine, replace it with this." He quickly produced a leather eye patch from his pocket. It was a simple looking thing that obviously referenced some kind of anime or manga before the war. "It's a trinket from back home. One of the kids in the infirmary gave it to me. Its leather should keep most of the infection away. But like always, better to be safe than sorry."

"Thank you again doctor." Yuki saw the man out. "I'll come by later again, Nao-kun. So please behave."

With one last wave, the two were off leaving the boy finally alone in his room. He made sure he heard their footsteps walk out.

Once the boy was certain that they were no long within earshot, he let out a sigh and turned his attention to the cabinet. "You can come out now. It's clear." The cabinet opened with a defining click revealing Rayet hidden inside. "You did well to stay quiet for so long."

"You didn't have to stuff me in the cabinet." The Martian pouted annoyingly.

"I can't have Yuki-nee finding out about our operations, otherwise I'd never hear the end of it." Quickly the boy got up from his bed and onto the computer on the table where Dr. Yagarai was working earlier. "Did you get the things I asked?"

"Roughly some of your list." Rayet admitted pulling out a small parchment from her pocket. The items on the list weren't exactly what she expected on fighting the technologically advanced war machines of the Martians. Unless of course Inaho was going to challenge them to a baking contest. "What do you need all of this for? These are mostly just kitchen appliances."

"For versatility." He answered. "I'm going to need you to gather the assets I require to mount a small operation."

"An operation?"

"Yes. To find Princess Seylum." Inaho explained not turning his head away from the monitor screen. "If this war is to end swiftly with the least amount of losses, her presence is required. Without her, everything we do from here would be meaningless. Hmm… this computer appears to be connected with the main server of this military installation but I don't have the clearance to access any of the important files. Do you have access to them?"

"Of course not." She grunted. "I'm just a soldier who follows orders. They won't share something as important as that with a 'nobody', even less, a Martian."

"Then we will need to find a way through this security network." Inaho declared before resuming his work. "It seems like we won't be able to get everything in one day. Continue gathering the items I've put on the list. That is your number one priority."

"Oi… as much as I want to help, there are things here that aren't exactly left on the streets. Some of these require more authority than a simple request."

"Leave the clearance level to me. Just get what you can."

"Why are we even doing all of this?" Rayet asked generally feeling a bit left out. "Wouldn't it be easier to simply ask the army for assistance?"

"If we are to stop the war, it must be done through a different channel." The boy answered not taking his eyes off the screen. "We could try to ask but we lack the time and influence to make such a grand request. If it was Captain Magbaredge, or Lt. Marito, it would be different. Only those with rank can achieve power. Besides… Yuki-nee would kill me if she found out about this."

Rayet raised a brow not really understanding what the boy was getting at. "It would be better if you told me what you're planning to do."

"Explaining the details of my strategy will take too much time, time that we don't have. It would be easier if I showed you afterward." But Inaho could feel the girl's distrustful stare. He knew her long enough to understand that she doesn't like being pushed around without knowing why. "You will have to trust me for the moment."

Rayet felt hesitant at first but later sighed in defeat. This is after all—what she signed up for.

**(Count Cruhteo's Landing Castle)**

"I'm bored…" The silver haired war maiden of the Vers Empire, groaned for the hundredth time in her seat. She was bored out of her skull, down to the point where she was finally dangling upside down on her cockpit trying her best to entertain herself. The knight and her sister had remained in proximity of the ruined Landing Castle for hours now with little to nothing to show for what exactly happened. The area was peaceful, if you could call it that. After the recent battles that took place here, the eerie silence seemed almost too… unnatural.

"Be silent sister." Charlotte warned as she returned her attention to her monitor where Count Gustav was displayed. "Apologies my lord. Amoretta has had a… sour day of late."

"I can tell." The man hid a smirk under his lips as he flicked his finger across the screen signaling his subordinate for a glass. "Report. Have you discovered what became of Lord Cruhteo and his entourage?"

"We have little to report in that matter. But… it is confirmed that Count Cruhteo's had perished in battle along with the other knights, Sir Trillram and Sir Vlad. The scouts also just confirmed that Lady Femieanne's Kataphrakt was destroyed as well."

"This is grave news indeed." Gustav bit his disgust of his own kin to be slain by weaklings. "Four of our own knights. I will send word to His Majesty and prepare a proper burial befitting their status. It is also more imperative that we discover the one responsible for this travesty."

"I'm afraid the identity of the perpetrator is still unknown to us. But we do have a lead." Charlotte then showed the clip that she got from the head of the Argyre. "This is a clip from Sir Vlad's sensory unit. The last recorded footage shows him fighting an Orange Terran Kataphrakt somewhere along the coast of Japan."

"And you think that this 'Orange' is responsible for the death of our comrades?"

She shook her head in reply. "I'm afraid I do not have the evidence to support that assumption. We lack the necessary information to conclude anything at this point. We've expanded our search radius around the countryside and discovered the wreckage of Sir Trillram's Kataphrakt but that was it. This… orange unit maybe the only lead we have in discovering the perpetrator. We will be heading to Russia later to investigate Lord Saazbaum's Castle. Perhaps it can shed some light into this mystery."

"That might be a problem." Gustav warned them, taking a sip from his favored wine. "A report came in earlier from the Moon Base. Saazbaum's castle is now infested with Terrans. They have an entire army stationed there."

"Then all the more reason for us to go." Charlotte insisted. "It's one thing to destroy a Stronghold but to allow our enemies to desecrate one of our prized Land Castles will stain the honor and pride of the Orbital Knights. If these acts were indeed committed by the Terrans then they may possess some strength that we have yet to encounter. We must not allow this cub to become a tiger before it's too late."

The knight on the other line thought hard and signaled his men for a refill on his glass before answering. "It might be dangerous. I don't want you going out there alone."

"Oh don't worry my lord." Charlotte darted to her bored sister. "I am never alone."

Amoretta's lip grew a grin.

**(Fort Grasne) (Inaho's room)**

Inaho never thought that working on a computer could be so exhausting. Spending hours upon hours staring at a screen felt like his soul was being sucked into another dimension. Perhaps Yuki was right. Perhaps he should take easy. But there wasn't time for rest. He already wasted t four months in a coma and if what Rayet said was true then the Terrans would barely have a year left before they become enslaved by the Martian Knights.

Accessing local and public networks, thankfully to the internet still working, the boy was able to gather information on the Martian weapons and other footages from the front. Thankfully there are still some people out there who are still brave enough to post their videos and photos on the web. At some point during his four months sleep, the military must've gotten their internet service back up. And inside, was a wealth of information only gatherable by pedestrians.

After hours of research, the boy concluded that there was simply no way Terran engineering could match against the Martian technological superiority. The power of the Aldnoah, the source of the Knight's strength was simply too advance for any of them to comprehend. Heck, he doesn't think the Martians fully understand the capability of what they have in the palm of their hands. From what he could piece together the stories from Seylum and Rayet and what he can get from the internet, the Vers Empire is barely a decade old. Their founder, Rayregalia Vers Rayvers, is still alive which means that this nation expanded at such a pace that their consumption outgrew their production capabilities.

With only Aldnoah advancing their technology, the late Emperor focused all effort in making this new source of energy a weapon and a tool of mass production. Construction and creation of tools powered by this xeno artifact soured the Empire to new heights but it doesn't seem like they had the time or the means to explore its other uses.

"Aldnoah power is incredible. If it can produce so much energy in such a small container then it would be like holding the power of the sun at the palm of your hand." Inaho silently complimented the abilities of the alien force. If he knew that such a powerful thing existed earlier he probably would've spent his valuable time studying its capabilities. He would've asked the Princess more questions.

But his research came to a quick end when he heard a knock coming from the door and a familiar voice coming from it. "Inaho? Are you in there? It's me."

"Inko?" The boy recognized it instantly and quickly enough, he hid all of his research and returned to his bed before answering. "Come in…"

True enough, the boy's childhood friend entered with a large lunchbox in hand. Unlike yesterday, the girl was dressed in full military uniform in almost full combat gear. Just put a rifle in her hand and point her in the right direction and you got yourself a soldier. "Sorry I'm late. My shift ran a little late with a last minute customer. I came as fast as I could."

"It's fine." The boy answered feigning innocent. "It's not like I have anything better to do. Come inside."

Inko accepted the invitation and made herself at home. The warmth of a private room was indeed something else. It was still cold, but not to the point where your teeth would be chattering every millisecond.

"So… uh… how are you feeling?" She asked grabbing a seat by his bed.

He answered smiling. "Better now. Dr. Yagarai said I should take it easy but it gets boring pretty quickly. Mostly I just want to get out of this room and stretch my legs."

"Well after what you've done for us, you deserve a holiday. Besides, it's not like you can pilot a Kataphrakt in your condition." Opening the bento, Inaho was greeted with a mixture of wonderful aroma that literally made his mouth water. "Tada! Homemade bento, courtesy of yours truly."

"You made that?"

"Yup." She answered with a gleeful smile. "Home cooked food tastes better than the rations they provide. And I had the time to spare. Here, have a bite. Ahhhn~" The girl unconsciously took a spoonful from her box and offered it to the boy giving him a rather awkward vibe.

"I can eat by myself." Inaho rejected feeling his cheeks burning.

"Oh come on. We all know that you can't eat in that condition and even if you could you'll probably just spill it all over yourself." The boy wanted to prove her wrong but kept it to himself that he was well enough to use his hands. He merely needed to feign his condition to keep others from suspecting. "Now come on. Ahhnn…"

In the end, Inaho surrendered, following her instructions. He chewed and swallowed, savoring the taste. To his amazement, the girl's home cooking was right about his level.

"It's good." He blurted making the girl's smile even wider.

"Isn't it? I made sure to add lots of vegetables that give the most in flavor that compliments the meat. I didn't become a temp member of the cooking club just for my looks."

"Cooking club?" Inaho's brow rose. "I thought you worked for the Student Council."

"I also prepare their meals. The Student Council President and the Treasurer always come early so they never really have time for breakfast. I asked the club to give me a few pointers. Pretty cool huh?"

"Heh… yeah… that is pretty neat." The boy slipped a smile.

Inko had always been a bundle of morale in the group. It's probably one of the reasons why Nina befriended her so easily. Inaho thought that if they were still in school, she'd probably pass to be a cheerleader.

Inko's eyes suddenly noted the small trinket on the boy's chest. "Ooh? Hey, that's a nice looking pendant. Where'd you get th—" But before she could touch it, Inaho stopped her.

"It's a keepsake." He explained keeping his voice down. "Something from our last battle."

"It must be pretty important if you're guarding it." Inko chuckled only to be silent by the boy's serious eye. "I… I see… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Huh? Oh…" Inaho slapped himself in realization. Because of his one eye, his gaze seemed to have a more terrifying effect. "Err… Isn't Calm with you?" The boy switched subjects much to Inko's relief.

The girl's brow rose realizing that there was someone missing in the room. "Eh? Wait, he didn't stop by? He said he'd go on ahead of me

"No. I never saw him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At the Kataphrakt hanger bay, Calm was sitting at the longue enjoying a little peace and quiet all the while grinning knowing that his friends are probably in that room alone together. He wondered if he had a knack in playing the role of cupid in future relationships.

"Heh… you're gonna owe me big time Inaho." The blonde boy said smugly to himself all the while grinning even larger.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"That idiot!" Inko cursed the guy who proclaimed himself cupid.

But Inaho waved her anger off. "Now now. It's nothing serious. I'm sure that he's busy with something important. What does he do anyway?"

Calming from her earlier outburst, the girl sighed answering. "He's in engineering. Calm actually requested to be a pilot but luckily Lt. Marito decided to put him where he was good at. He's lucky he flunk his piloting test. Now he just runs maintenance for most of the Kataphrakts that need repair."

"I guess all that time working on his bike might actually save his life." Inaho commented. "Both of you work in engineering?"

"No." She chuckled. "I have no idea how those machines work and my piloting skills weren't exactly that impressive. The higher ups saw that I was pretty good in math so they assigned me in Supply-Distribution. I never thought my studying would actually land in this job."

"Is that so…" Inaho's mind suddenly began processing an idea. An idea that might just help him.

**(Lake Baikal Outpost) (Hanger)**

Lt. Marito let out a long and exhausted sigh as he finally got out of his overalls and into more comfortable clothing. After his patrol in the frozen wasteland it was good to finally get into something warm and sleep off the cold.

After the battle four months ago, he thought that the war would finally end with them losing. But to his amazement, the Terrans were indeed a persistent bunch. He thought that he would thrown back into the war the first chance they got but instead the higher ups decided to put him here to train the new pilots. Every week or so a batch of raw pilots would turn up and go out with him through the snow, trudging in their Kataphrakts, getting used to their units. After they get a taste of their machines they get sent back and hopefully they'll last a bit longer out on the battlefield.

"Lt. Marito. Thanks for today!" One of the newbies thanked him as they exited their units.

"Yeah, you kids go have fun. Report back here tomorrow, same time." The old veteran replied waving them off before leaving. He never really liked being part of a large group and those recruits were a large bunch. "Haa… man. I'm getting too old for this." He said to himself as he took a sip from his favorite canteen.

"Good work today, Lieutenant." A familiar voice caught him off guard making the man stumble with his drink.

"Captain whoa!" His hands slipped on the canteen only to be caught by the chestnut haired woman. "Sorry about that."

"Barely five minutes done with his job and already you're hitting the booze." The Captain smirked, returning his drink. "Aren't you supposed to set a good example for your students?"

"What else here has a way of curing a cold stomach after such a blizzard?" Marito added resisting the urge to take a sip in the presence of his old friend's sister.

"They still have coffee around here. You can try that." The Captain replied gesturing to the fresh batch by the lounge. "At the very least you won't reek of alcohol every time you come back."

"If the world wasn't going to end in a couple of months, I'd consider it."

Darzana sighed. "So you heard about the operation in Germany?"

"Yeah…" Marito answered halfheartedly. It was difficult not to hear word spread of another of humanity's glorious defeat at the hands of the Martians. It was obvious that the Generals back at headquarters wanted to keep it a secret but keeping something like that was impossible. Words spread quickly and at the rate their battles go, such a defeat was highly believable. "What a bunch of idiots trying to take an enemy Landing Castle head on. Charging straight into the fire…"

"You shouldn't be too hard on them." The Captain stated. "They're merely wanted to achieve a victory, no matter how small it may be. After what we accomplished back at the old headquarters… they thought that they could repeat what we did."

"Ha! And in the end, it was no better than throwing ourselves at the enemy. What a load of bull. We'll need even twice the amount of luck we had back in that place."

"You really believe that our survival was luck?"

"Wasn't it?" Marito dared. "It was Beginner's luck that we found the Deucalion, Dumb luck that the Princess was on board, and a hell-of-a-lot of luck with that kid bringing them altogether. Now that I think about it, this all happened because of what happened in Shinawara. Can you really say that everything that happened was all just coincidence?"

"Should I be worried that one of our most veteran pilots speaks with such defeatism in mind?"

"You can sugarcoat what they put on paper, but you can never change the truth." He took a sip from his canteen raising it up to an empty toast. "All we can do now is just sit here and wait for what fate has in store for us tomorrow."

"You really believe we've lost already?"

The alcoholic soldier shook his head in reply. "Oh no, we haven't lost yet… we're still just… losing. And it'll take a miracle to get us out of this gutter… or at least a really big gun."

"How about we get you started with that coffee? And maybe afterwards you can whine all you want about our situation."

And for once, Marito genuinely smiled. "Now that… I can live with."

**(Fort Grasne) (Later that night)**

The eerie silence of night was comforting for Inaho. As much as he enjoyed the company of his friends this morning, he much preferred the quiet semblance the night. That way he could work in peace without the fear of anyone discovering his operations. If his sister found out what he was up too, she'd throw a fit for sure. Heck, Inaho already considered him lucky that she allowed him to move around the room. If he was caught, she'd probably chain him to the bed and put the keys between her breasts to ensure he won't try anything funny.

"You really shouldn't have turned her away." Rayet, who patiently waited for Inaho's next word, stated.

"What are you talking about?"

She chuckled. "The girl. Amifumi I think. Don't you think you could've done something with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"A young boy and girl all alone in a cold room with barely a heater to warm them up? Things could've been heated." She joked playfully at him knowing well he would probably just brush it off.

"If you're talking about a personal relationship, then it is impossible."

"Why's that?" She inquired.

"Because she would only be the one who gets hurt."

It was a rather surprising response coming from a grumpy faced boy. Rayet jerked back a bit feeling a bit awkward to be talking about someone else's love life.

Just when she was about to say more on the subject, Inaho beat her to it. "I have it."

The red head directed her attention to the computer where a number of digits and names came on. "What is that?"

"The military storage manifest." He answered. "I was able to get into the system using Yuki-nee's ID. She uses the same password on everything she owns. It seems like they haven't made any changes to its natural structure."

"And how does that help us?"

Inaho smiled inwardly to himself. "Our primary objective right now is to find clues on the whereabouts of Princess Asseylum. Her last known location was at the Martian Landing Castle near the old U.E.F Headquarters. To get there, we will require transportation and resources. With a few changes, I can requisite some assets for our purposes."

"But won't the military notice something wrong?"

"No." The boy reassured her. "You said it yourself. The army has more weapons than it has soldiers. If the army has excess resources to spare without direction, then they get placed in storage to simply collect dust. Idle assets are actually a lot harder to keep track since there's no way of telling when they will be used. You however will have to drive them there."

"That won't be possible." Rayet replied dejectedly. "They won't allow anyone near the warehouses. My clearance level only gets me from here to the residential blocks. I might look like a soldier but they only place me as a guard here. I'll need a way to—" She stopped when Inaho flashed her another ID card. "This is…?"

"That's Inko's ID." The one-eyed boy explained. "She works in Supply-Distribution. It should be enough to get you through the checkpoints without raising too much suspicion. With the shortage of personnel in the area, you can easily be passed on as extra hands."

Rayet was stunned. She raised her brow, not really sure if she should be amazed or afraid how the boy managed to circumvent a small branch of the military at such a short time and restricted to the comfort of his own bed. Unable to make comeback, she gladly took the ID and noticed her picture already placed on top of the previous owner. Even the name on the tag was rewritten by some carefully placed white ink. She wondered if Inaho stole it from the poor girl when she wasn't looking, or did he take advantage of her feelings to get it. Rayet thought it best if she didn't know.

"Ok. So we have our tools. How do you intend to find the Princess? She could be anywhere and we can't exactly go out there and cross our fingers."

But Inaho came prepared. He knew that finding the Princess was a one-to-a-thousand shot chance but at the very least there was a lead. A small lead, but a lead nonetheless.

"Seylum's last known location was at the Landing Castle near the old Headquarters of the U.E.F." He began. "It's a good a place to start as any. What do you know of that place?"

"We pretty much abandoned it when we met up with the United Earth armies. I think they stationed a large garrison to keep it protected. The whole place was buried but there are still plenty of resources inside. The army sends dozen of trucks there every day to get the supplies out."

"Good." Inaho nodded much to the girl's confusion. "That will be our way in. We'll pose as extra security for the transport. It would be easy to change the duty roster with my limited access."

"Aren't you being a little too ambitious?" Rayet warned. "If you change many things at once, someone is bound to notice."

And for once, Inaho seemed to agree with the girl. It was one thing to make things look like an error in the system but if bent the rules too much, eventually the strain will give in and it will break. Someone will be bound to discover it. He gently leaned back on his seat, biting onto Dr. Yagarai's pen that he left behind. "Your argument is logical. But right now, time is against us. The longer we wait, the colder the trail gets. And this war isn't going to last forever. With each passing moment, a chance of surrendering becomes a greater option. Getting her is the first step in our plan for ending this war."

"And you think she'd come on her own? After everything that's happened? You believe that she would join us willingly?"

"I do…" Inaho answered silently but confidently. "Because she wants to end this war too."

**(Russia) (A few miles south of Saazbaum's Landing Castle)**

Amoretta was hungry. She was starving, starving for battle. Her mouth groaned and her breathing became heavy as she flew overhead, watching the torn land below. They were close now. So very close to the fight that she had been craving for days and nothing will deny her of that erotic carnage.

The further they went in the supposedly 'controlled' territory of the remaining Terran forces, the more beaten the land became. Craters from artillery and wrecked vehicles littered the place. Blood and oil soaked the snow scattering with silent screams of souls like the finishing touches on a giant white canvas. Amoretta soaked in all in and shuddered. Any second now, the enemy will show themselves and once more she will tear their bodies with her Hesperian. Simply picturing her foe scattering like ants gave her the feeling of superiority. She enjoyed it almost to the point of breaking. But just as she fantasized her next move on the Terrans, her sister Charlotte put the machine to a halt and landed it on the surface.

"Why are we stopping!?" The steam-headed knight demanded to know what stopped her from her pleasure.

But Charlotte didn't seem bothered by her outburst. "Patience, dear sister. You cannot expect to march to an enemy's stronghold without some semblance of a plan. That would simply be barbaric."

"Pfft. Who needs a plan? Let's just march in there, knock a few heads and they will break just like all the rest."

"Brute force and acts of terror will only get you so far in war before they become immune to the effects. But if you really want to shake their morale… then you will need a wee touch of… elegance."

"Ha! Elegance. Hesperian is more than a match than any war-machine the Terrans can make with their puny imagination."

"And that, my dear sister, is why you will always be considered a brute hiding under a woman's skin." Charlotte mocked, not taking her eyes off her controls.

Amoretta scoffed before realizing what her sister was pointing at. The area they landed was a graveyard of Kataphrakts. Dozens of them, lay dead, some torn and broken while some remained somewhat intact. Immediately a thought came to mind. She grinned and cooed over to her sister's seat. "Ooooh… does that mean your little pet-project is finally done?"

"We will find out." Charlotte answered with a smile, which quickly dropped when she realized the close proximity of her sibling's face. "What are you doing?"

"All this time, I thought I was the only one getting turned on by battle. But you're just as excited as I am, wanting to take your new toy for a spin."

Amoretta's breath fogged up her sister's glasses which made the younger sibling blush. "I assure you, we share no such similarity in such poor taste as tha—ahh!" Her voice switched to a moan when she felt a pair of hands easily slipping into her uniform. "Amoretta!"

The elder sister didn't care much of her sibling's protest. Her hands easily found its way through the buttons and groped the soft bosom inside. She could feel the heart beating fast and pacing, like a race-horse preparing for the last sprint. She traced her finger down from the cleavage to the belly button, and slowly Amoretta worked her way to her trousers noticing the same dampness as hers.

"Come now, my dear Charlotte. Don't deny it. You and I haven't done it since we left for that battle in Mongolia. It's not healthy to restrict our instincts." She licked Charlotte's ears sending a shiver down her spine only to find herself pushed back in the end.

"Heel, girl." Charlotte was able to resist the urge to focus on the task at hand. "We have more pressing issues to contend with other than our needs to let off steam."

"Tch. You're no fun." Amoretta grunted before switching the subject. "So how does this thing of yours work anyway? You never really told me what it is, you were working on. When did you even start working on that thing anyway?"

"Unlike some people, girls like me require a hobby to keep ourselves occupied after being trapped in space for 15 years." Charlotte reasoned before activating her new 'toy'.

And with a push of a button, a small pod dropped from the Kataphrakt's body shattering onto the hard surface below. A strange unnatural liquid poured from it, spreading outward, covering the battlefield with its strange goo.

**(Northern Germany)**

Princess Asseylum stared out from the balcony of the lodge gazing at the deep blue ocean that night. On a normal night she would probably recite poems and epic saga that would describe the beauty of such scenes. But tonight, she could not enjoy it. As much as she desired to watch the endless glittering reflection of the stars on the wide blue sea, the sound of gunfire and explosion continued to echo in her ears.

The battle that took place in the nearby city had already ended the night before. But Asseylum could still hear it. She can still see the fires of war raging in her mind, the sound of explosions bursting her eardrums. Even from such a distance, the flames of war could be felt and countless screams and shouts echoed through the wind, haunting her to no end.

"Princess? Are you awake?" Her nightmarish thoughts were gratefully interrupted by Slaine who entered her room with a tray in hand. "Oh… there you are."

"Slaine? Why are you up so late?"

"I could ask the same thing, Your Highness." He replied with a casual smile. "I thought I'd come by and change your bandages since your old ones are probably dirty." The Princess looked to her wounded waist and knew that the boy was right. Despite all of his efforts to keep her bandages clean, there was simply no way for it to remain stainless with Her Highness constant need to move around the house. She kept rummaging through the woods, swim in the water or play with some of the animals that managed to come by.

"I see… yes… I do believe it needs changing." She gladly took her place by the bed, removing her garments. Thankful to Slaine, she kept a towel over herself to cover the more… respected areas. "I'm sorry to have you do this to me."

"Please don't mind it Princess." The blonde boy answered. "It's my duty to serve you." He quickly unwinds the old bandage noticing the wound healing nicely. Though sadly, the bullet wound that the Princess suffered may forever leave a scar on her chest.

"Hey… Slaine." Asseylum opened up trying to pass the time with a small talk. "Do you think it will ever end? The war?"

Slaine knew that the Princess would ask something of that sort sooner or later but kept quiet. He really had no answer since he detest war and its entire means. "Yes. I believe so."

Asseylum raised a brow. "What makes you so sure?"

"A war can't last forever. With everything that has happened, it is only a matter of time before the Terrans surrender."

"So you believe… that this war can't end with victory for the Terrans?" It was a silly question but the Princess felt the urge to ask it. It was plainly obvious even for her that the Terrans were outmatched. The battle that took place yesterday cemented this theory. Regardless of how many they send… the strength of the Martian Knights would always be too great.

Slaine remained silent and continued his work patching the Princess. He knew that there was only one end for this war. With the fall of the United Earth Forces Headquarters, what remained of their military strength was nothing more but rabble, an unorganized mob trying to hold on what little they had left.

"Please don't burden yourself with this." Slaine added taking a seat next to the Princess. "You had nothing to do with this war. Even without you, the war would've gone on eventually. You cannot regret something that you had no part in playing."

"But I…"

"Count Saazbaum was only one person and what he said may have been lies. I… I know that this is hard for you… but I still believe that you have done all that you could to help us." He gazed into Seylum's eyes, giving her a reassuring smile. "You've done more for the people, for the Martians and Terrans than anyone expected you to."

"You praise me too much." Asseylum chuckled. "I am not as benevolent as you claim me to be."

"But you are…" Slaine insisted inching closer to the Princess. "I knew that you were a good person from the moment I met you. You saved my life… a person you first met in your bath. Anyone else would've left me there to die. But you stayed and saved me."

"Slaine…"

"And for that, Your Highness, I am eternally grateful. And that alone, I am sure… that you have done all that you could for us. So… please. Don't blame yourself anymore."

A thin and rather romantic silence crept into the night. The insects grew quiet and the sea itself seemed to have calmed. Asseylum saw no one but the boy in front of him, who dedicated himself to her service. He was the boy who intrigued her with the ways of Earth. He was the one who told her the stories of the deep blue ocean, the cloudy skies, and the birds. She longed for the days when the two of them spent back in the royal palace, hiding from the guards while he minced words to describe the world he came from.

Truly, she missed those days.

"Slaine…" Asseylum cupped the boy's face lifting it to hers. "Thank you… for being at my side till now."

His face flushed as he answered. "I uh… well. It was my pleasure… Your High…" His face drew closer. So close that he could feel her breath on his lips. "I uh… well… I…"

But their lips barely touched when a loud crashing noise echoed from living room below, jolting both of them up from the bed.

"What was that?" The Princess asked only to be covered by Slaine as he drew the sidearm that he brought with him, to bear. "Slaine?"

"Princess, please stay here." He ordered before slowly creeping his way down the stairs.

"Alright… but please be careful."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Slaine slowly and cautiously entered the living room, not for a moment leaving his gun unattended. The first thing he immediately noticed was the main entrance door which had been flung backward. He cursed the fact that he didn't consider the fact that they could be discovered by soldiers or scavengers. He took a mental note to prepare some defenses next time.

It didn't take long for his nose to pick up a scent in the air. He recalled this stench almost immediately. It was a smell of blood.

And true enough, there was a pool of red on the wooden floor near the entrance. It trailed from the outside leading to the kitchen. Slaine took cover and saw the back of a figure standing at the center of the room.

"Don't move!" The boy ordered cocking this gun. Slaine recognized his uniform. It was the same uniform all member of the Terran army. The helmet alone gave it away. He scanned the room and noted that the man was alone. "Drop your weapon and turn around. Slowly…" He demanded.

And following the boy's words, the figure dropped his sidearm and turned. Slaine's breath held back to what he saw.

The man's face was barely recognizable with all that blood splattered on his face. It seemed almost a wonder how he could even see through all that damage. The front part of the soldier's uniform was torn and burnt as if something exploded in front of him. Shrapnel and sharp metal objects protruded from his chest and even more blood gushed from those wounds. It was horrifying.

"Mama?" The man asked through his delusional state. "Mama… is that you…?" And as if the last of his strength left his body, the soldier collapsed.

"Hey!" Slaine rushed out, catching the man, gently putting him to the floor. "Get a hold of yourself!"

The soldier coughed out painfully as he laid still. Just by looking, Slaine could tell that this man was in pain. Every waking second of his life was torture. It seemed almost like a miracle that he made it this far.

"Hang on. I'll… get something to ease the pain."

"Slaine?"

"Your Highness? Don't come over…" But Slaine warned too late. The moment she peeked through the archway, she saw the mortifying body of that poor soul. Her hands covered her mouth as she gasped in horror.

"Is… he…?"

"H… elp…" She hear him mutter just beyond a whisper.

Swallowing her fear, she approached the wounded soldier kneeling beside him. "Slaine, can you do something?" But the boy shook his head in reply. You didn't need to be a doctor to tell that he wasn't going to make it. With all the wounds, all the blood that he lost, it was only a matter of time before death takes him. Asseylum knew this but still wished there was something she could do. Something she could do to ease the pain even just a little bit.

"Is there really nothing… you can do?" She asked again not really expecting an answer.

"His wounds are way too deep and he's lost too much blood. I… don't have the equipment to perform any surgery."

"Mama…?" The soldier reached out into the dark, as if he was trying to find something. He choked on his own blood. His eyes forever blind with soot and shrapnel. From the looks of it, the boy has begun to slip back into a state of dream to relieve him of that agonizing pain. "Ma… ma…?"

Swallowing the horror, Asseylum breathed and sat beside the wounded soldier, taking upon his reached out hand and held it to her face. "Shh… be quiet now." She eased the little boy's fear. "Don't cry. Mommy's here."

Unable to tell reality from his dreams, the boy choked a faint yet peaceful smile. "Ah…. Mama. Can I… stay home today? I don't want… to… go…"

"Yes, of course you can stay. Everything is alright. Go back to sleep now."

Soothed by her words and by her touch, the boy's face grew a smile. And just like that, all his pain went away. All his fears subsided. Death didn't seem that scary anymore. "Ah… yeah. I am… feeling a… bit… ti…red. Good night… ma…m…"

With his last breath, his life left his body, leaving his bloodied hand on the Princess's cheeks.

But Asseylum refused to let go. She held on his hand, remembering that trembling feeling on her face. His blood marred her cheeks, her dress, and her hair. It stained them, marking one's death over the millions yet to come.

Slaine stayed by her side, taking her blood-soaked hands as it fell lifeless on the floor.

It seems that the world has no intention of forgiving her or making her forget…


	4. Departure

**Chapter 4: Departure**

**(Fort Grasne) (Abandoned warehouse)**

Rayet was not easily impressed. After what she has seen during the course of this war, she could say with confidence that there are very little things that could stump her. And fortunately enough for her, this was one of them.

She could not believe how lax the security was here in the military storage facilities. Seeing as how many weapons the army has at its disposal they'd want to put a little extra security measures to make sure no one would have the right mind to take one of the Kataphrakts out for a stroll. But then again, the only people dumb enough to take up arms against the Martians are probably buried ten feet under or vaporized by their weaponries.

Still… for her to easily slip pass their defenses with such little trouble, made her unsure whether she was amazed or frightened to how smoothly Inaho's plan went. The moment she entered the warehouses, all the tools and equipment that the boy ordered was neatly stored in one of the trucks. All she had to do was flash her fake ID card and drive it to the warehouse, and no one's the wiser.

The abandoned warehouse that Inaho talked about was deep within the slums of the base. Barely half the base itself was being used so there was no worry for people passing by. And even if someone was suspicious, they could easily excuse it as an offsite storage ground.

By the time Rayet got the truck to the place, Eddelrittuo was already there waiting for her. In their first months here in Fort Granse, they were entitled to food, water and coal. But now… they had a pair of KG-7 Areions, the frontline units against the Martian invaders. They had weapons, ammunitions and more than enough tools and equipment to set up their own base of operations.

Looking at the new gear that they've acquired, Rayet couldn't help but smile. If the boy could achieve this much just by sitting in his bed all day, she wanted to know what he could do once he was out in the field.

"And that's… the last one!" Eddelrittuo declared roughly as she stacked the last box from the truck. When the little handmaiden woke up this morning, she definitely wasn't expecting to be stacking up weapons and expensive equipment. Back when she first served the Princess, she would be brushing her hair or be making her breakfast. But now, she's here… prepping like she was going to war.

"Thanks for your help." Rayet appreciated the little one's assistance as moving everything from the truck seemed too taxing for one person. "We should be good for the next few days."

The little Martian stretched her arms a bit before pulling up a seat for herself. "It's amazing how that guy got us all of this in such a short time." Rayet almost openly agreed. With just a few necessities, they boy was able to bypass all manner of security the military had in place. It was a low-risk task but it boosted her faith in his ability to take down the Martians. Now with two top of the line Kataphrakts at their disposal, they stood a better chance in accomplishing their mission.

They had the tools and weapons… but there was still something missing. Something important. Something that was yet to make its mark on the world.

"Well then. I guess I should get to work." Rayet said to herself as she pulled a spray can from her pocket. Eddelrittuo inquired what she was doing which the Martian teen simply replied. "If he's going to fight out there, both our enemies and our allies need to know who he is."

She sprayed the first pint onto the foot of the leading Kataphrakt.

It was orange…

**(Distribution Center)**

Yuki Kaizuka was taking note of the food supply they had in store that morning when he heard a familiar voice sigh coming from her back. She saw Inko sitting in her chair, her chin on her table, looking as if she was bored out of her mind.

"Is something the matter?"

The girl jolted from her seat. "Bwah! Ah… Lt. Kaizuka. Sorry. I guess I was drifting in thought again."

"It must be pretty troubling if it got you to sigh. Did it have something to do with you being late today?"

"What? No! Of course not." Inko waved her arms in defense while a blush crept on her cheeks. "I just misplaced my ID card, that's all. The Captain of my team gave me an earful this morning."

"Oh right. You're part of the reserve. How are they treating you? Good I hope. Otherwise they'll be answering to me."

Inko repeatedly waved her arm to dissuade her from going after her team. Knowing her strength and her exo-skeletal arm, she could easily send her team and her Captain to the infirmary. "Please don't. It's nothing like that. Besides, it was my fault for losing my ID."

"So why the long face?" Yuki could already tell what it was about. There was no hiding it from her. The blushing and twitching of the thumbs and the inability to keep a straight face pretty much painted the whole picture for her. It was a love problem. "Is it about Nao-kun?"

Inko's face went so red that you could warm your hands on her cheek. She waved her arms frantically, all the while denying the claim. "What!? Of… of course not! I wasn't thinking about him at all! I would never think of Inaho san in such a way that would compromise our good relationship!" But her antics only succeeded in making the elder sister chuckle. "Uwah…"

"Just kidding." Yuki laughed. "Though I am a little surprised how my little-Nao-kun was able to get such a lovely girl to be interested in him. As his sister, I thought that grumpy look he always has will keep all the ladies away, but he turned out to be a major playboy after all. First you, then Nina."

"K… Lt. Kaizuka!" Inko panicked. "Please don't say something… eh? Wait… Nina? Why would she…?"

But before she could get an answer, a patron called her from the window booth. "Oi, Amifumi. Two civilians here are asking for some extra blankets. Can you see if we still got some in stock?"

"Ah! Y… yes sir! On my way."

Watching the girl work hard only made Yuki smile even more if that was even possible. A part of her was glad that her brother was becoming such a popular bachelor, but then another side of her felt a tinge bit… jealous. After all, she has been caring for him since their parents passed away.

**(Northern Germany)**

Slaine watched from afar that morning, as Asseylum stood quietly in front of him, staring at a small mound of dirt. A small patch of land filling with a simple slab of stone made for a makeshift unmarked grave for the poor soldier that came that night. It was the only gift the Princess had to offer that boy along with a silent prayer and mourning for his loss.

She prayed to all the gods, hoping to grant that child-soldier a semblance of peace in the afterlife. If this world would not hear her plea for peace, perhaps some divine will may take mercy upon her.

Slaine couldn't approach. He wanted to help, wanted to cheer her up. But there was nothing he could say to make that night go away.

The Princess laid a flower on the grave whispering a silent prayer for the child soldier. Despite being buried six-feet under, she could still picture his bloodied face… hear his weeping sobs and feel his shivering hands on her cheek. It forever marked her like a sin that will never wash off.

A moment passed by before a sudden noise caught Slaine's attention. He darted towards the ocean where he saw the flotilla of the Terran turn the other way. Their vessels crippled beyond repair, some simply taking in water, hoping to reach to safety of shore before they sink. The beautiful scenery that they had, Her Highness's favorite view was now forever marked with the scars of war.

It was plain to see that they could not remain here. With the armies this close and a lone soldier making his way here… it was only a matter of time before they are discovered. And there was no way of telling who could be a friend or foe at this point.

"Slaine…" Asseylum spoke first catching him off guard. "May I… make a request of you?"

"Princess?"

"Can you follow my selfish desire… just this once?" Slaine paused as he saw Asseylum turned from the grave to face him. Her eyes still remain saddened but deep inside, he could see a measure of determination burning inside of her. "Will you obey my orders?"

The boy barely noticed that he stopped breathing entirely until his body forced his lack of air. But with determination, he answered. "What do you desire, Your Highness…?"

"I need to stop this war." She explained walking pass him. "I need to end this senseless slaughter, to stop the plot of my grandfather's knights. I cannot bear this cross any longer."

"But Princess. It will be dangerous. You could…"

"I know it will be." She nodded quietly to herself. "I know for a fact that if I reveal myself, those who have serves Count Saazbaum will surely come after me. But… even so… I am fine with that. Because now… anything that happens to me would be a mercy compared to this cross that I have to bear. I would rather do all within my power to prevail, than to simply rot here, escaping reality and shirking my own responsibility."

"Princess Asseylum…"

"But even so… I cannot do this alone." Asseylum admitted. "I cannot—in all my weaknesses, march alone without someone to hold me. So… I ask of you… no… I beseech you, Slaine Troyard. Will you aid me in my selfish request once more?"

Slaine didn't bother weighing the answers in his head. In his mind there was only one answer. The Princess was determined to see this through to the last of her dying breath. Even if he said no, the girl would've gladly walked out on her own to fight the knights with her bare hands.

Giving a warm smile, the young Troyard kneeled to the sand and said just above a whisper. "I am your humble servant, My Lady. Please grant me the honor and pleasure to aid you in your endeavors. So long as I live and breathe… I, Slaine Troyard, shall serve thee to the best of my abilities, till my last dying breath. On this… I swear…"

And for the first time in a long while… the Princess smiled.

**(Saazbaum's Landing Castle)**

A Terran Kataphrakt pilot stood watch near one of the empty fields near the old headquarters of the United Earth Forces, yawning out loud with a mug of coffee in hand. It was his fifth shift this week to be the lookout for the guards. Only the constant noise of his computer and the rumbling sound of his engine kept him awake for the last six hours.

But much to the man's gratefulness, his change of shift finally arrived to switch with him. "Oi Hanz. Are you sleeping on the job again you nut?"

The guard laughed, with a hint of relief that he would return to base for a warm meal and a comfy bed. "Can you help it? Standing in front of all this snow for six hours straight? How can I not fall asleep?"

"You and your excuses. Whether it rain or shines, hail or not, you'll find a reason to take a nap either way."

"Well, I can't deny that."

"Come on you nut. Get on back or I'll report you to the commander again." Their humor was suddenly cut short when both their radar began to identify an unknown signal in the distance. "What the? What's that?"

"A signal? All the way here? It's coming from… over there." They quickly aimed their rifles in the general direction of the signal seeing a silhouette in the clouds. "An enemy?"

"No wait…" It then became clear that the figure was one of theirs. "Hold your fire. It's one of ours. Pegasus 44 to base, we've located a friendly unit. Appears to be damaged and… huh?" It didn't take long for him to notice that the new figure wasn't alone. Behind it stood another dozen of the same unit all looking wrecked as if they had just come out of a fight.

"Say again Pegasus 44?" The voice on the radio inquired. "A friendly unit?"

"Affirmative. There appears to be a lot of them."

"Understood. Can you establish contact?"

"We'll try." He answered before moving to his speaker unit. "Halt! Identify yourselves. Name, rank and unit. You are entering a restricted area. Confirm your identities immediately."

But the moving Kataphrakts remained silent and continued to walk in their direction. Hanz quickly fired a warning shot putting them to a stop.

"Hey! You daft? We said identify yourself! This area is off limits. Open your coms or your cockpits so that we won't… eh?" He never even to finish his sentence when a grenade round was shoved onto him, ripping his mech in half.

"Hanz!" His partner cried out before leaping backward, dodging the rounds from the zombified Kataphrakts. "This is Pegasus 44! Enemy attack! I repeat: New targets are hostile! Requesting backup on my posi—gahhhh!" He stopped on his tracks when a giant scythe-like weapon cleaved into his cockpit cutting through his soft flesh. "Wh… what the… hell? An… angel of…?"

A Kataphrakt twice the size of his own appeared on his screen. The machine had seemingly a head with two faces, one with horns of a demon and the other with the angelic halo protruding on the back of its neck. Its armor shined with red and silver as if it was praising both heaven and hell and the Vers Empire at the same time. On its right hand held a scythe with plasma light on the tip to act as its blade and on its left hand shone a sword made of the strongest steel.

Amoretta licked her lips as she delivered the killing blow on her prey, ending his life with a glorious explosion. She listened as alarms sounded through the base alerting all her victims into the field. "Yes. Come you vermin. Come to my hunting ground and be hunted like the animals that you are!"

A large column of Terran Kataphrakts formed a firing line followed by outdated tanks and infantry who actually believe that they can stand a chance against the twins.

Amoretta's wicked grin grew even wider, if that was even physically possible. With a pull of the controls, her machine leaps to the sky, and crash onto the highest concentration of enemies. The screams and panic of her preys chattering over the radio was like a symphony of angels singing in her ears. They shouted, cursed and fired their ineffective weapons and yet they could damage her armor. The sight of the Terrans struggle for their pathetic lives amused the young female knight as she cleaved through their weapons with almost relative ease.

"Damn it!" One of the Terran Kataphrakt pilots cursed under his breath as he continued to lay suppressive fire on the one Martian machine. "What the hell is with this guy!? How can she move so fast? Pegasus Leader to HQ. Request permission to use high caliber guns, over!"

"This is HQ. Request granted." The answer came almost immediately. "Hold the enemy off until we can evacuate the base."

"Roger that. We'll try to hold this bastard for as long as we can. Armored Division 6, move your company around and keep pace with the Kataphrakts. Your cannons will be our last line of defense against…"

"C… Captain!" The soldier interrupted. "More enemies coming from the left side!"

The Captain turned and was horrified to the sight before him. Coming from the storm was a horde of their brethren Kataphrakts all looking like a zombie stampede. "What in the hell…?" But he was quickly caught off guard when his partner suddenly shot him from behind. "What the? Oi! What the hell are you doing!?"

"It's… it's not me! I've lost control of the unit!" The pilot panicked as he saw all of his com systems shutdown only to return with the image of a skull plastered on each screen. "I've been hit by something! L… look out!"

It didn't take long for the other machines to also begin acting strangely. One by one, the Kataphrakts of the Terran Army began to act as if they were being dangled by a puppeteer.

"Pegasus 88! Stop that at once!"

"I can't! The controls aren't responding! I lost command of my unit!"

"Then eject!"

"I can't! Nothing is working! Ah… ahhhhh!" A few moments later, the panicked machine exploded in a ball of fire taking out three of his comrades along with him.

The other soldiers stared, stunned by the sudden suicide attack that they barely had a chance to react when the Martian Kataphrakt continued its onslaught. Amoretta danced in her machine, wielding her giant scythe like she had been doing it for years. All the culminated desire to kill and slaughter was released, making her body tingle with excitement.

It only took a moment for the commander of the battalion to understand that they weren't dealing with an ordinary foe. The Martians normally kill outright with little to no time at all, but this one, this one was different. He could see that the method of killing was leagues beyond what the other Martian Knights have done. Every movement, every kill that the enemy made was done not only to destroy but to instill fear and terror into those around it. A shock trooper, that made everyone around it panic. Combined with the confusion of their allies turning on one another, no commander can properly order his or her unit.

Before long, the commanding officer of the battalion issued the retreat, firing a barrage of smoke grenades to cover their tracks.

Amoretta attempted to give chase, unafraid of whatever the Terrans had to offer, but was stopped when Charlotte took command of the Kataphrakt. "Now now, dear sister. Please remember that we are here simply to retake the Landing Castle, not hunt down low-lives."

The masochist knight scoffed knowing well the real reason why she stopped her. "Don't try to sound like the reasonable one, sister. You just want to try out your new toys over these guys."

"Well I certainly can't test them if you destroy them now, can I?"

"Ha! And here I thought I was the sadistic one."

**(Fort Grasne)**

Inaho day-dreamed. It was the only thing he could do at the restrictions given to him. Dr. Yagarai was there that morning, giving him a dose of antibiotics and once more, lecturing him that he should take care of his body. It was the same sermon he gives to all the patients under his care. It's probably what made him a doctor in school in the first place. His dedication to his craft was admirable if not a bit annoying for someone who plans to take down the Martian Knights from the shadow.

"Oh, by the way Inaho." The doctor called out as if he remembered something. "Inko chan said that she might be late this afternoon."

"Inko?" The boy reacted to the name. "Why is she coming here?"

The good doctor made a face trying to decipher whether he was really asking that question. "Obviously, she wants to have lunch. It's good that you have friends that care for you so much."

Images of yesterday's lunch with the girl came to the boy's mind. He remembered Inko well and was foolish to believe that her visit held no deeper meaning.

There was no doubt in Inaho's mind on the true reason for Inko's visit. That girl was obviously head over heels for him and the 'wanting to have lunch with him' was just a pretext for that. Any other man would probably be happy to have such a cute girl like Inko have a childish crush on them. Only an idiot of great caliber would reject such honest feeling.

Inaho admitted that he didn't mind the advances that he was given. If he was still in school along with the rest of his classmates, there was a high chance that he and Inko would've been going out together already. It was pleasant, and warm to have someone care so much for you. But deep inside, Inaho knew that it could not happen. This is war and the Terrans cannot afford any error. If there was to be any chance of victory against the Martian Knights, nothing must interfere with his focus. Not even his friends… or his family…

Biting his heart, the boy shifted to the doctor. "Can you tell her not to come?" The good doctor raised a brow. "I think… I'll just rest today, so there's no need for her to visit me."

Yagarai was curious to what the boy was asking for, but before he could let out a word, a familiar alarm sound echoed throughout the base. It buzzed loudly like a horn from a broken car, alerting everyone of a dire situation.

"Attention all personnel!" A voice from the intercom followed. "Yellow alert! Martian forces have been detected on the outskirts of Fort Grasne. All non-combatants are to report to their designated shelters immediately. I repeat: Martian forces have breached our borders! Remain on standby and prepare for orders."

"A Martian… attack?" Soma muttered as he turned to the boy with a worried look. "I need to go. I'll be back later this afternoon. Don't go anywhere." And just like that, the good doctor left leaving a puzzled boy behind.

But it was only obvious that the boy would neglect that order and do the complete opposite. Jumping out of bed, he immediately secured the computer and began scouring the information bank for the details. The alarm alone would've put everyone on edge for an external attack so it would only be right for them to neglect a digital hack.

**(Briefing room)**

Yuki Kaizuka was the last to enter the briefing room after the alarm sounded. From there she could pilots and her commanding officer at the stands, pointing at the large digital screen behind him. The number of her company alone matched up to at least 47 pilots, enough to form five squads at least.

"Sorry I'm late." The elder Kaizuka apologized as she joined her company. "Evacuation needed time."

The Captain waved her worries off. "It's fine. We were just about to begin. Lieutenant, hit the lights." The screen then focused on a location that all members were familiar with. "I'll get right on the matter at hand. As you may have already heard, a Martian Knight Kataphrakt has entered the northern outskirts of Siberia roughly two hours ago. It attacked the former headquarters of the U.E.F. and eradicated its defenders."

The crowd muttered altogether as Yui squinted her eyes in disgust. "So… they're back again…"

"Fortunately, Pegasus battalion was able to retreat safely along with the base's personnel. They were able to give us extensive information on the enemy and their strengths."

One of the pilots raised his hand. "Sir. Is the enemy planning to strike us soon?"

"No. From what we know, it doesn't seem like the enemy knows the location of Fort Grasne. Fortunately Pegasus battalion took a secondary route leading to another outpost at Lake Baikal. Should the enemy pursue, they will only be led away from the main base."

Yuki understood this tactic well. It was a bait-and-snare trap that the higher ups developed to throw the Martians off track. Should the Martians discover a patrol and give chase, they would only be led to one of the smaller stronghold throughout the region. From there, they would believe that they crushed the main source of the Terrans' military might and focus there. It was a rather… deceptive and sacrificial tactic but it only goes to show how desperate the army was at this point.

"What's the enemy's combat strength?" Another soldier asked.

"From what we know, the Martians only brought one powerful Kataphrakt and two aerial transports. They've nested on the destroyed Landing Castle. Their objective at the moment is currently unknown, but it doesn't change the fact that their stay here is a threat to everyone on this base. High Command has issued an order to retake that outpost from the enemy at all cost."

This time the crowd began to mutter even louder. They knew for a fact that a fight against the Martians was inevitable, but going against them on an all-out attack was pretty much the same as signing your own death-warrant. They knew from the attack in Europe that any massed invasion against them was just plain suicide.

"But we won't be going in on a head long attack." The Captain added calming his team. "High Command has developed a plan to take down the Martain Kataphrakt. Instead of attacking the thing head-on, we'll lure it to one of our strongholds and deal with it on our terms. Three Kataphrakt companies and two regiments of mechanized infantry as well as the 10th Armored Battalion from the Russian 5th Army will be participating in this operation. Aerial support will be limited to supply drops only. Any questions?"

The crowd remained silent signaling the Captain to continue. "Very well. The objectives of this operation are as follows. As you know, the former headquarter of the U.E.F is a treasure trove of supplies and resources so securing it is our first priority. Second, eliminate the threat to our borders."

"That's only if we survive our first encounter." Yuki heard one of the soldiers mutter under his breath. She couldn't help but agree. These objectives were pretty much just a guideline for them to follow. Nobody really expects them to actually succeed in eliminating the enemy with their current level of strength.

"The outline of the operation is as follows: Castor Battalion will make a direct attack on the enemy's current location, delaying them and draw them out. Kelpie Battalion will head south to Lake Baikal and join up with the remainder of Pegasus and Clydesdale Squad. The Commanding Officer of this operation will be Major Staphen and his XO, Captain Belridge."

"Kelpie?" The name stirred Yuki's thoughts. _"Isn't that the same unit Inko was in?"_ She recalled the name tag on Inko's jacket. Though she may be a supply officer here in the base, there were very little soldiers who had actual piloting skills like hers. "Excuse me, Captain. Isn't the Kelpie Battalion full of new recruits? Why are they being sent out?"

"It was the only defense squad we had in the base." He answered not really paying attention to her. "Most of our regular troops are out in the Chinese or Norwegian Front so we're stretched pretty thin. Patrols from other outposts have been told to remain on standby just in case the enemy makes a second charge."

"But still… sending out recruits on such a dangerous assignment…"

"I understand how you feel Lieutenant, but you of all people should know how dangerously low on manpower we are." The Captain closed the discussion entirely before returning to the briefing.

"So where are we going to be deployed?" Another pilot inquired.

The Captain pointed at the map in the direction a bit far from the operating zone. "We're not." He answered back. "The higher-ups have a different assignment for us. Enbarr battalion is to travel west to a remote facility in the mountains. We're to assist a science team in transporting a high valued asset to the north where another we will remain on guard until the situation changed."

"Hey wait a second." A third voice spoke out. "Are you saying that they want us vets to babysit some eggheads while the rest of our comrades fight for their lives?"

"Those are the orders." The Captain reasoned. "If you have a problem with it, you can take it up with the boss back at HQ. We'll depart later this evening at 2000 hours. The strike team launch two hours ahead of us. Consult with the com officer for your assignment. Dismissed."

**(Inaho's room)**

Inaho was boggled. He was hoping for security around the net to grow soft once the alarm began, but he was wrong. He could still access all the databanks and shipping manifests, but all the military reports were out of his reach. He hoped that his sister's access clearance would get him to at least, some of the important files but it seems like they even keep even their own soldiers out of the loop. It was either they were keeping a tight lid to decrease the spread of panic among their ranks or… they had something to hide.

Considering what they discovered by chance in Tanegashima, it stands reason to believe that the military may have more secrets than they let out.

Still, the boy was able to get the debriefing of the squad that encountered the Martian. Inaho had to admit that he was a bit impressed. Not many pilots can claim to have survived an encounter with a Martian Kataphrakt and this 'Pegasus' Squad was able to retreat in fashion considering the losses they sustained. The commander must've been quite competent.

However, that didn't stump his confusion in the report. From what the com officer was able to decipher from the report, it was stated that the pilot saw an Angel of Death carrying a giant scythe with the blade powered by some sort of beam. Inaho knew what he meant since he too have seen a beam weapon used by the Martian Knights. It was no surprise that another would fancy a different sort of weapon.

As for the Angel of Death. Inaho could only decipher it to have some strange resemblance to a divine figure. It either moved really fast or it could fly… or maybe even both. This much he could decipher from a simple description from the soldier's delirious state.

However, the latter part of the report had him scratching his head. The term 'Rising from the dead' and 'Zombie' made it difficult to understand what he was trying to say. Either he had one drink too many or the Angel of Death had more than the name itself. Either way, it was a problem.

"This is bad…" He muttered under his breath. His plans were barely in their test stage when this got out. He was hoping for a little more time before the Martians made another push, but it seems like that four months of rest was all the time they could spare.

A knock on his door came signaling one of his trusted comrades, Rayet. "Hey…" She arrived looking a little battered but nothing she kept her fatigue to herself. "Did you hear?"

"I heard." Inaho replied gesturing to the computer screen. "A Martian Knight attacked the old Headquarters of the U.E.F."

"This is going to mess with our plans."

"Not entirely." Inaho reassured her. "Did you get them?"

"All gears were stored like you asked. You should thank Eddelrittuo. She did most of the work there."

"Another time." The boy interjected. "What is the military's response? I'm assuming they're going to take action soon."

Rayet nodded in agreement. After the alarm, her entire security team was put up to speed on what the army was planning. She quickly explained what the general idea was and gave her opinion. Though it seemed foolish to send a counterforce almost immediately after the attack, Inaho understood why they had to do it.

Not only was the old headquarters of the U.E.F a valuable area for supplies, it also served as a buffer zone between their territory and the Chinese frontline. It was a place where troops could fall back to when routed, or a defensive ground should another attack come. But it would've been more convincing had they decided to send the more veteran soldiers into battle.

Instead of committing their elite forces into the fight, high command decided recruits, pilots with little to no-real combat experience whatsoever. Even the armored tanks and mechanized infantry were made of volunteers and green trainees. The only explanation that Inaho could think of for sending such an inexperienced group to a suicide mission like this is that they weren't expecting them to come back. They probably think that if the Martians destroy the outpost at Lake Baikal, they'd think they've won, making them leave the area in peace. It was a rather… undesirable yet understandable plan.

Saving the best strength for the fights they needed to win. It was a sound strategy.

"It seems like they're playing a delaying tactic." Inaho deduced bottling his thoughts together.

"It's sickening that they're planning to sacrifice soldiers just to keep themselves safe." Rayet cursed under her breath.

"No. It's logical." The boy countered earning her attention. "In a game of chess, the most common first move is to send pawns to probe the enemy's strengths and weakness. Should the pawn prove sufficient, they will send the knights and bishops to crush their opponents. Still… this may prove advantageous for us."

"How so?"

"Since the alarm went off, the army's physical security system will probably be tighter from here on. We won't be able to leave through normal means."

"And how is that advantageous?" The girl inquired feeling a bit puzzled by the boy's choice of words. "How can that be good for us if we can't even leave the base?"

"You didn't let me finish." Inaho cut her off. "Though we can't leave through ordinary means, accessing the Landing Castle in the old headquarters might become easier for us. The Orbital Knights normally come alone or at least with a Sky Carrier to act as air-support. If they lure the knight away from the old headquarters, we can sneak in without anyone noticing. It would certainly be a lot easier than to create a whole backup story to cover ourselves."

"But… how do you expect us to leave?"

"Let me handle that." Inaho finished. "First thing's first. I need a uniform. Get our Kataphrakts ready. Thought it might be sudden… we're commencing our operation earlier than expected."

"Wait a moment. What's the plan?"

"We'll wing it…" The boy smiled as he answered. "Now go. We don't have much time before the attack leaves without us."

**(Count Saazbaum's Landing Castle)**

It was in ruin…

Those were the words chosen by Charlotte as she inspected the Landing Castle of the old Count. Though she could say that it was in better shape than Count Cruhteo, she had to admit that the Terrans certainly made a number on it.

You can still see the scars of battle literally littering the entire field. Hundreds of Terran Kataphrakts lay wasted inside and outside of the castle. Gun turrets destroyed by artillery and gunfire. There could be no doubt that a great battle was fought here, and much glory to be earned simply by standing upon its surface.

It didn't take long for the support team of the twins to arrive moments after the fight. Landing inside the ruined castle, they quickly made preparations to bring it back online. But while the soldiers fiddled with the damaged systems, Charlotte analyzed the damage to the castle a bit more.

"Amazing…" She muttered quietly to herself as she inspected a giant hole on one of the sections of the castle. "To think that the Terrans are capable of doing such damage. I'm rather impressed." The hole itself seemed rather large to be real. It looked as if someone had thrown a dart the size of a skyscraper and slammed it onto the castle, crushing through its steel-plated armor like rubber.

She heard her sister Amoretta whistled. "Man. This must've been one hell of a fight. I would've loved to have been here. So much chaos to sow…"

"Easy, dear sister." Charlotte warned her content sibling who seemed to have calmed down from her lust for battle. "Count Saazbaum is said to have been the master of combat in his generation. If someone like him were to fall to such an battle, you can be certain that we will stand little chance here."

"Saazbaum huh?" The long haired psychopath snickered. "I think I only saw him once, right after Heaven's Fall. He didn't look that tough."

"Appearance is only part of what a person is, dear sister. You should know that better than anyone."

Amoretta licked her lips in return. "Oooh… are you flirting with me now?"

"Must you always take everything I saw out of context?" Charlotte was almost glad that a sudden transmission from the engineer team stopped her sister from answering that question. With a flick of a finger, the same man's face appeared on screen. "Report, soldier."

"Yes ma'am." The man answered. "We're setting up a temporary base inside the Landing Castle as we speak. Unlike Count Cruhteo's Landing Castle, this base appears to be more intact than the last."

"Can you access the archives?"

"We're already working on the repairs, my lady. But I would like to make a separate report on that." This made Charlotte raise a questionable brow which prompted the man to continue. "Upon scouring the wreckage of the castle, we discovered the remains of Count Saazbaum."

"The Count!?" The sisters immediately knocked in their attention.

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry to say that his Excellency has indeed perished in battle. He suffered numerous wounds and died honorably. We found his remains in the Aldnoah Drive room at the heart of the castle along with his Kataphrakt, the Dioscuria."

"This is most unnerving." Charlotte bit her thumb as she heard this. Though she may not have known Saazbaum personally, it has been known that the Count was one of the finest warriors in his generation. Not only was he one of the more senior knights serving His Majesty, the Emperor, he also had the allegiance of many other knight clans in his service. His charisma and leadership made him the ideal soldier to be leading the reconnaissance of Earth before Heaven's Fall. "Were you able to recover data from his Kataphrakt?"

"I'm afraid not my lady." The man shook his head in reply. "It appears his Excellency was not recording his honor during battle."

"Then I suppose we can only count on the archive data." The younger sister sighed knowing well that there would be no easy path. "Thank you for your report. I'll pass this on to Lord Gustav."

"There is… one more thing that we found, my lady." The engineer interrupted. "Along with Count Saazbaum's unit, we discovered the wreckage of a Terran Kataphrakt that you might want to see."

The screen then change to a ceiling view overlooking the whole Aldnoah Drive room. From there, the sisters could see the chaos that ensued. The whole room looked as if it was ripped apart by a tornado then shoved right back through an earthquake. They can see the Dioscuria on the ground near the center of the room. But the body that sat next to it, caught their eyes like moths to a flame.

Right there, lying headless and armless next to Count Saazbaum's Kataphrakt was an orange painted Terran cockpit. Immediately this prompted them to think of their previous investigation.

"The Orange Kataphrakt!" Charlotte raised her voice unintentionally. "Was there a pilot inside?"

"No ma'am." The man answered again. "We've searched the unit but found no body. There is however, a substantial amount of blood splattered inside. We're unable to determine if the pilot survived or died inside that unit. However, we've compared the Kataphrakt to the one on the video, and it came with a perfect match. This is the same Kataphrakt that fought against Sir Vlad."

"This is… undeniable proof." Charlotte concluded. "Though it may not be strong, we can assume that this Kataphrakt is indeed the one responsible for the death of the Count Saazbaum."

"There are signs of a gun battle." The engineer added in his report. "The Count may have ejected from his machine to kill the pilot of the Orange machine but was overpowered instead. They may have exchanged fire here in this very room which led to his death."

"And with the Count gone, the Aldnoah Drive dies with him." Charlotte finished with a deep sigh. "Continue with your investigation and report all new findings to me. It won't be long before the Terrans counterattack."

"By your command."

As the transmission ended, the sisters mulled over the information they just received. Though there were still some unanswered questions lying around, both of them can agree that this Orange Kataphrakt pilot had a big role to play in the deaths of many knights. It cannot be a simple coincidence.

"It's hard to believe that a Terran could do something like this."

But Amoretta had a different perspective of that pilot. Sure she had met Saazbaum only once but never really saw him in action. But if that Orange Pilot was able to take a knight out than it was plainly obvious that he or she was more than just prey. She wanted to fight it, no she needed to fight it. Because the vermin she had been dealing with for the last few days… have been worth as much as the animals she hunted back on Mars.

She needed to fight it to ensure her status as hunter and the Terrans as… prey…

**(Fort Grasne) (Inaho's room)**

It didn't take long for Rayet to return with the uniform. Due to the lack of mirrors in his room, Inaho never really got to see how bad he looked until he removed his scrubs. He knew for a fact that he had been asleep for four months but after finally seeing it with his own 'eye', he had a sense of disgust of himself.

He was already scrawny back before the war but now he looked as if he was made with just skin and bones. A person could practically see his ribs sticking out of his skin. The boy took a mental note to properly thank Dr. Soma for taking care of him, should they ever come back. Right now he needed to focus on the situation at hand. It was getting out of there and finding the Princess.

"Hey…" The boy turned around to find Rayet, barging in. "Are you…" She stopped mid-sentence when she realized that the boy was still half dressed. "Sorry…"

Inaho ignored her blush and fixed himself proper before turning back. "Forget it. Did you prepare everything?"

"Y… yeah." She fixed her gaze back at him fighting the blush away. "Eddelrittuo is waiting for us at the warehouse. She's loading the last of our supplies."

_"For someone her size, she's surprisingly efficient…"_ Inaho mentally noted. "What about the army?"

"We're a bit late. They were sent out about ten minutes ago. We won't be able to catch up with them at this rate."

"That's fine." The boy waved her worries off as he put on his gloves and radio transceiver around his neck. "We don't need to join up with the main force itself. Though it would've been easier if we left together. They will provide the necessary distraction for the Martians while we search the Landing Castle."

"You really think we'll be able to get pass their security?"

"Leave that to me." But just before the boy could take one step out the door, he quickly remembered something important. He pulled out a small envelope from his pocket and gently placed it under his pillow.

"What's that?" Rayet asked out of curiosity.

The boy simply answered. "Nothing important…"

**A/N: Heyo sorry for the late update. I wanted to post this on Christmas but the holidays got me working all week long. Hopefully I'll be able to get to the juicy bits before the 2nd Season comes along. See you all soon. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah (If that's how you spell it) and whatever else you guys celebrate.**


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